A Lion's Promise
by CrimsonLioness
Summary: His patients had been rewarded, a year later he plans to fulfill every promise he had made her, even if she wasn't aware of the promises. Sequel to A Lion's Patience. More LoLu fluff. Lemons. Maybe a little drama.
1. The Ring

Author's Note: I do not own Fairy Tail or any of the characters.

The sunlight filtered through Lucy's window curtains, flooding her room with a soft yellow light. She laid on her side, watching her ring sparkle in the morning sunlight. She smiled as she made the light fractures dance around the room, remembering the night he had given it to her almost a year ago.

It had been a few nights after Ezra's Birthday Ball. Loke and Lucy had returned to the guild in the morning, breaking the news about their relationship. Nearly everyone was there. Mira and Ezra had smiled in victory. Gray nodded with a look on his face that said 'About damn time.' Juvia was crying tears of joy, saying something about her no longer being a love rival to Juvia. Levy gave the two a warm smile, hugging her best friend. She stood with Lucy and Loke, Gajeel moving behind her as she made the announcement about herself being Gajeel's mate.

Juvia clung to Gray, her dark blue eyes pleading to him. Gray simply shrugged, sending the water mage into over blown excitement. Everyone's eyes went to Gray for an explanation, as Juvia had since turned into a puddle. He again shrugged, beginning to blush, and barely loud enough to hear said "She wanted to announce that we are dating too."

Master Makrov stood on the bar, calling for another celebration that night, giving orders to Mira, who nodded along with his plans, excitedly adding her own into the works.

Loke chuckled. 'There's never a reason not to celebrate in this guild.' He thought to himself. He kissed the top of Lucy's head, earning a few "Awwws" from anyone who had seen, as well as death glares from old girlfriends. He was glad they had chosen tonight for their little celebration, he had his own plans for the night after. It just so happened that it was the one year mark of the night Lucy saved him. He wanted to show her how much she meant to him.

Levy and Gajeel sat at the bar, watching the scene around them. It made Levy happy seeing how much love there was in the guild. Loke and Lucy were talking with Ezra, no doubt, she was giving Loke a speech about how to treat Lucy and what would happen if he was to hurt her. Little Wendy and Romeo were eating breakfast together. Laxus was helping Mira for tonight's celebration, stealing kisses when he thought no one was looking. Levy then looked to the guilds most unlikely couple, the water and ice mages. She was surprised Gray had actually admitted his feelings for the blunette water mage, but she was so happy for them. She burst with joy when Gray casually held Juvia's hand as they made their way out of the guild to go on a job to do together. Natsu and Lisanna weren't at the guild this morning, which wasn't uncommon for Natsu to be missing at this hour he was probably still sleeping. Lisanna was usually here with her sister and brother. 'She probably spent the night with Natsu then.' She thought gleefully. Their innocent young love of their preschool days had finally begun to blossom into more.

"Oi, Shrimp, are you in there?" Gajeel tapped her forehead. Levy was brought back out of her happy ponderings, looking into Gajeel's dark onyx eyes.

"Sorry, I was caught up in my own world. I'm just so happy there so much love." She grabbed his hand. "What did you say?'

Gajeel smiled at the small blunette "I asked you if you wanted to get out of here and take a job or go to the library?' He knew she wanted to go talk to Lucy but he couldn't take any more of the glares at him or the longing looks at Levy that were coming from Droy and Jet. Until he was able to permanently able to mark her as his mate, he didn't want her around them more than necessary. Or any males. He wanted to explain this, but had a lack of words to do the explaining. 'Maybe Master could sit down with the dragon slayers and their mates to do a one shot explination.' He knew that Natsu and Laxus would be worse than he was. 'I'll have to find him and talk to him….'

It was Levy's turn to get his attention. She tugged on his hand. "Earthland to Gajeel, you there?" She tried to stifle her giggle when he looked back at her. "I said lets go to the bookstore, I need to find another book to hold me over until Lucy lets me read more of hers."

Gajeel only nodded, standing with her. As they left the guild he threw a glare in at the other team members of Shadow Gear. Droy and Jet looked away with disapproval and fear.

Ezra stole a moment to herself. She was thrilled for everyone, the joy and love that filled the guild was wonderful. She sighed silently as she ate her piece of strawberry cake in the booth where she sat. She couldn't help but to be a little sad that she wasn't part of the celebration as well. She had a wonderful night with Jellal, but unfortunately, that's where it ended. He had returned to his cell, and not wanting any implications for Ezra or Fairy Tail, they remained close friends and nothing more. She knew how he felt and knew that he was right in his decision. She just hoped one day it would be able to work out. Just, today wasn't that day. At least she knew he did care. With that thought she smiled, finishing her cake.

The celebration that night had been as rowdy as the others. Cana had challenged everyone to a drink –off, which she of course won. Gray then challenged Loke to a fight out of nostalgia, causing Gajeel to join in on it when a chair flew at Levy. Droy and Jet, not wanting to be out done by Gajeel, joined in. Someone in the midst of this, destroyed Ezra's cake, causing her entrance to the brawl.

Mira laughed at the scene, Fairy Tail is always rowdy no matter the reason of celebration. Lucy just shook her head and sighed. She watched her Lion fight. He managed to stay fluid and graceful even in a fight, as if it was a dance. She didn't fail to notice he caught anything that started to fly in the direction of the bar where she sat.

Finally, Master Makarov put an end to it, slamming his huge fists down onto the fight. Not long after, he kicked everyone out. Loke smiled as he hobbled towards Lucy.

She playfully mussed his hair, putting his arm around her shoulder. "You really should be more careful, you know they have gotten stronger and put their all into everything no matter what it is." Lucy playfully chided him.

He rolled his eyes. "Princess, I'm already back to normal, you shouldn't worry so much." As if to prove his point, he lifted her up, carrying her bridal style the rest of the way to her apartment. "Tell me my Lioness, are you free tomorrow night?"

"I didn't have anything planned but writing since I finally got over my writers block. Why do you ask?" she asked with curiosity.

"Date night, with me, 6 o'clock sharp. I'll send Virgo and Cancer so that you're not late." Loke kissed her forehead, setting her down at her doorstep.

Lucy pouted. "I'm not always late." She frowned more when he scoffed at her.

Loke leaned down and kissed her pouted lips. "Of course not my love, I'll see you tomorrow." He stepped back to pass through his gate.

"You're not staying?" Lucy asked him sadly.

He shook his head "Not tonight love, I need to rest and you have a book to write." He smiled at her "6 o'clock sharp." With that, he disappeared into his golden light.

Lucy huffed, making her way up the stairs to her apartment. She took a long bath, then settled down to write. She had written a couple chapters before she had begun dozing off at her desk. She got up, turning off the lights and slid into bed, falling asleep quickly.

Lucy awoke to delicious smells. She noticed the tray on her bedside table with an omelet and her tea. A note was propped up next to a small vase that had fresh lilies and lavender in it.

'My love,

Enjoy breakfast and have a wonderful day. I'll see you at six.

Forever Yours,

Leo'

She pouted as she ate and read the note. She didn't miss that he signed it as 'Leo' and not "Loke." She finished her breakfast and decided to clean before writing. She washed the dishes, then her counters and stove, swept her whole apartment, cleaned the windows, tidied her living room, cleaned the bathroom and started the laundry. By the time she was finished, it was already noon. She sat down to write, not making much progress. She had understood him not staying last night, but he had come and made her breakfast and didn't wake her up. His signature was bothering her too. She wrote off any negative thoughts. He did call her "My love," he signed it with "Forever yours" and referred to tonight as a date, so she had no doubt they were fine. Curiosity was killing her as to why he signed it as Leo and what he was doing up until their date at six.

At four o'clock, Cancer showed up. He gave her no hints as to what tonight held for her. Tonight he simply curled her hair, leaving it in loose curls around her face, pulling one side back with a clip. He showed Lucy the final product and with her approval, disappeared back to the spirit world in his red and golden light.

Almost in the exact spot that he disappeared, Virgo appeared in a soft pink and golden shower, holding a garment bag. "Brother had this picked out for you Princess, shall I be punished now?"

Lucy shook her head, earning a disappointed look from the pinkette spirit. She changed Lucy in her whip like fashion. The dress was long sleeved but short, ending mid-thigh. It was a midnight blue and it shimmered like ice. The neckline was high and hugged her curves without seeming like a second skin. Virgo handed her long rhinestone earrings with a silver necklace that settled just below the color, a single pendant dangling off that caught every light ray. Lucy slipped on a pair of silver heels, wrapping the straps around her legs like a snake. She took a glance in the mirror, admiring the look.

"Does it please you Princess?" Virgo asked.

Lucy nodded. "He has impeccable style, never disappoints." She looked to her stellar spirit. "Thank you Virgo, I appreciate it."

"He also has a carriage waiting for you" Virgo motioned to the door. "Good night Princess." She said as she passed back through her gate.

'Of course he as a carriage.' Lucy thought to herself as she made her way down the stairs.

The coachman helped Lucy into the carriage and carefully shut the door before Lucy could ask where their destination was. She sighed, settling into the comfy seat while she pondered different scenarios.

Loke heard the carriage approaching. He looked one more time to make sure that everything was perfect. He stood, looking at the candle lit table that was on the cliff, next to the waterfall. It was the same spot that Lucy had showed an impossible strength of magic to save him a year ago. Karen's grave had long since been removed. It had just been a headstone he had placed to cry his guilt out at. He walked to the approaching carriage, tipping the driver handsomely as her made his way to the door.

Lucy was brought back out of her thoughts when the carriage came to a stop. The door opened and there Loke stood with a smile, holding his hand out for support. She breathed in relief, not realizing till then the tension that she had held in her body. She took his hand as she exited the carriage. She had barley heard it leave as she stood in awe of where she was. She quickly ran it through her mind. How could she forget that it was a year ago that Loke had placed his key in her hand? She looked up at her spirit, eyes glistening with tears.

"I've spent all day wondering why tonight's date was being taken to such great lengths. I can't believe I forgot today marks a year. It seems like so much longer." Lucy said quietly.

Loke touched her chin making her look up at him. He smiled brilliantly at her. "Princess, you treat all of us so well, like friends, that it's not surprising or concerning that you don't remember when each of us joined your team. Tonight is special to me not just because it marks a year when I came into your life, but because a year ago you saved me and completely changed my life." He kissed her gently, leading her to the table.

He had ordered them lasagna from the restaurant from their first date. He had brought a bottled of her favorite red wine to compliment. They laughed and reminisced about their many adventures. The moon has slowly risen, the stars twinkling in the night sky. When they had finished, they walked to the edge and sat quietly, remembering the same night a year ago.

"I don't believe I've told you yet tonight, but you look absolutely beautiful." Loke said to her, starting to feel a little nervous about what he was about to do. He turned to face her, pulling a small ring box out. He cleared his throat and tried to calm his shaking hands.

"My love, there's something more." He opened the box. Inside, a small golden band sat with diamonds in the shape of an infinity, with a ruby nestled in the center of it.

Lucy gasped slightly, her head and heart racing.

Loke continued. "This is the match to the ring that I wear. It's meant to be worn by the Lion's mate. It's not an engagement ring or even a promise ring. It's like a mark a dragon leaves on his mate. Just, classier and much prettier to look at." He took the dainty ring from the box.

Lucy couldn't help but cry. She had held out her hand for him to slip the ring on. She admired it for a minute, before looking up at him, tears still welling up in her almond colored eyes. She leaned forward and kissed him. "Thank you." She whispered against his neck when he pulled her against him in a hug.

Loke could speak. He was overjoyed that she had accepted it. To see how happy she was made him speechless. He'd never get use to her affection for him. He smiled flirtatiously at her when they pulled away. "Of course, the other two rings will follow shortly, as well as another one that will match one for me."

Lucy laughed. "This one can serve two purposes, it's better than a promise ring." She though a moment before continuing. "As excited as I am to share my life with you, we're going to need to spread out the celebrations. I don't think that Fairy Tail guild hall can handle so many in a short time span."

They both laughed, thinking of the previous night, knowing that statement was nothing but the truth.

Lucy was pulled from her reminiscing with a kiss placed on the back of her neck, the warm arm that was around her tightened, pulling her closer to him.

"Good morning beautiful." Loke said in a sleep laced voice.

"Mmmmmmm… morning." She mumbled back, turning to bury her face in his chest.

"I'm going to make breakfast, then I have some spirit world matters to attend to. Dinner at 6?" Loke took her hand and kissed her ring. It still made every fiber in his being hum with joy.

Lucy made a small pout face. "Fine, I guess I can see if Natsu wants to go on an easy job. Never hurts to have a few extra jewel."

After breakfast, Loke kissed her goodbye as he passed back to the spirit world. Lucy finished getting ready and walked out of her apartment towards the guild.


	2. A Girl's Day

Author's Note: I do not own Fairy Tail or any of the characters.

Lucy walked into the guild, scanning the room for her pink haired partner. It was still a little early yet, so she wasn't surprised he wasn't here yet. She sat down at the bar and waited for white haired bar keep to finish filling Cana's beer. Mira smiled at Lucy as she walked over.

"Good Morning Luce! What can I get you this morning?" she asked sweetly.

"Waffles with strawberries" This was her usual order for breakfast unless Loke was cooking.

"Where's Loke? I rarely see you two apart anymore." Mira smiled as she asked curiously. Nothing made her happier than see Lucy and Loke. Their dynamic together was unique, their chemistry undeniable. She gave Lucy a chia tea "On the house." She said with a smile.

Lucy sighed. "Spirit world matters he has to attend too." She said with a pout. "Has Natsu been in? I was going to see if he wanted to do an easy job today with me. I feel like I only see him missions that Team Natsu does. I wanted to do a fun one and hang out a bit." Lucy played with her ring uncomfortably.

Mira shook her head, frowning slightly. "Not yet today, he usually comes in after you've already left." She paused thoughtfully. "Maybe… we can have a girl's day! Most of the other girls don't haven't taken a job today so we are all free! What do you say?"

She asked as if Lucy had any real choice in the matter. She could see the demon soul threatening to come out if she chose the wrong answer. Lucy nodded in genuine excitement. Mira clapped and immediately went to work getting the other girls on board. Ezra, Levy, Lisanna and Cana had all agreed to the girl's day. Lucy didn't doubt that any of them would even think about denying Mira. They all finished their breakfast, talking excitedly and making plans for their full day of pampering.

They decided that their first stop would be to a cute little dress shop that Lucy frequented in Market Square. She found a cute forest green dress. It was more modest than she normally wore, with a high neckline and sleeveless that fell just above her knees. Gold stitching etched intricate designs across the skater style skirt, trickling up into the neckline. The girls fell in love immediately, urging her to get it.

'Why not, I have a few extra jewel thanks to the side jobs with Loke. Besides, can't go wrong buying a new dress for the date tonight.'

It seemed that luck was on their side, everyone had found something. Ezra managed to find armor that she didn't already have. Lucy would never understand how she found armor at a dress shop. Mira found a long gray and white casual dress that extenuated her curves without showing skin. Lisanna had found a flowy lace purple dress that fell at her knees with a sweetheart neckline. Levy found a light gray sundress that had sunflowers around the bottom of the skirt. Even Cana found a cute blue sundress for a date that she was going on with Bacchus later in the week.

Mira pleaded with them to stop for "lunch" at her favorite bakery/sandwich shop. Most of them ordered sweets, completely indulging in the girl's day. They continued walking through town when Mira suggested to get their nails done.

"You have a date tonight don't you?" Mira asked innocently.

Lucy nodded, touching her ring out of habit. "Yeah we've made today our anniversary. It seemed a much more significant date." She narrowed her eyes at the demon take over mage. "How did you know about it? I didn't tell anyone."

Mira merely shrugged. "I hear things. Your lover Lion isn't so quiet about his plans." She grinned at Lucy.

Lucy just shook her head, smiling. Loke was anything but quiet about how he felt about her. She and the rest of the girls followed Mira to the small nail salon.

The salon was mostly empty, so the girls went three at a time. Cana, Ezra and Mira went first. The first two opted for no color, while Mira went for a hot pink. Levy, Lucy and Lisanna went after, all opting for the classic French white tips. Levy watched Lucy, who was playing with her ring absent mindedly.

"How are you and Loke?" The blunette asked. She was curious if tonight was going to be cause for a celebration tomorrow. She was really hoping it would, Lucy had been so much happier and a lot stronger since being with Loke. She was also really excited to plan a wedding.

Lucy smiled. "Things are really good, we've managed not to just become stronger as a team, but he's helped me to be stronger with all of my spirits. And he makes me laugh. Everyday. At least once. He's always encouraging and has all the right things to say even if he doesn't understand. He doesn't mind when I won't talk to him about my book. He knows no one is to read it before you." She smiled at her best friend. "He's crazy protective, sometimes crazy jealous too, but he respects any decisions I make, even if he doesn't agree with it." She paused for a moment, looking away before barely whispering "I think he's the one."

All of the girls froze, looking at the celestial mage. The broke out in cheers mostly. Mira and Ezra screaming "I knew it!" in unison over and over. Lisanna frowned for just a moment before joining in on the celebrations. Levy just smiled from ear to ear knowingly. Lucy could see the mark on her neck that showed that she was a mate to a dragon slayer.

Cana added to the excitement even more. "Maybe tonight's going to be really special. He gave you a ring last year, maybe you'll get THE ring tonight." She said with a wink.

Lucy flushed. "I don't know, I don't really think so. We haven't really talked about it. It was brought up in the beginning but we've never had any conversations about it since." Secretly, she hoped Cana was right. Levy and Gajeel were mated along with Mira and Laxus, who were mated first. Neither couple had any wedding bells ringing in the immediate future. Natsu and Lisanna still hadn't mated, neither one really talked about it, but Lucy just figured it was Natsu being Natsu. She wanted to be the first to take the biggest leap.

Cana, being the most brass of the group asked "Ya'll getting hot and heavy yet like the rest of us?"

Lucy flushed an even deeper shade of red. "No… we haven't yet. I don't know, it's not like we've planned." All of that was true, neither had spoken about it. It's not like the want wasn't there. There were more than a few nights where their make-out sessions got a little steamy. Loke never pushed, and she just hadn't decided.

Mira smiled. Loke had often come to her asking advice. Mira had been happy to help and was glad to hear that he actually took her advice. It also gave her more insight. She knew Cana's assumption was right on the money. Loke had asked her to set the whole day up. She was pleased that Lucy really was so unsuspecting.

Mira looked to her younger sister who was currently lost in her own little world. Lisanna and Natsu were taking things agonizingly slow. Lisanna was patient with him, but hearing about how everyone else's relationships were moving forward so quickly sometimes brought her spirits down. She squeezed her shoulder reassuringly. Lisanna smiled at her older sister, rejoining the conversation.

"Lu, there isn't any rush on it. Besides, it might mean more if you wait." Lisanna smiled, almost as devilishly as her older sister. "Besides, I feel like you'd be missing for days once you two start going at it like wildcats, it'd be best to wait to your honeymoon where no one will be looking for you." She winked at Lucy, who was the darkest shade of red she had ever seen anyone turn. Cana howled with laughter. Even Levy and Ezra giggled.

Mira looked at the clock. "Oh Luce, it's four o'clock, we should start getting you ready." The girls quickly walked to her apartment, talking excitedly about how Lucy should look for the date.

Instead of calling her spirits out to help, the girls offered to help her get ready. She slipped into her dress that she had purchased earlier, sliding on gold heels to match.

Mira worked magic with her hair, curling it and pulling it into a low half pony on the side, putting a golden comb to hold it into place. Lisanna had offered to do her makeup, using neutral tones to make her eyes pop and a lip stain that was slightly darker than her lips.

Ezra, Levy and Cana waited out in her living room. They were her "reaction crew." When she walked out, Levy's jaw dropped. Ezra stated that she looked very beautiful and Cana let out a whistle. Lucy laughed, encouraging them a little, she did a turn for them and struck a pose like she was on a runway. She walked a little further and struck another pose before turning and walking back towards her room. Just before she entered, she turned back around, giving a sultry look, blowing a kiss and winking at them before leaving the living room.

What she hadn't noticed was that Loke had appeared. He had come to surprise her but she was having an impromptu fashion walk. Not wanting to interrupt, he stood in the corner near her door, hoping she wouldn't see him. It took all of his will power not to join in on the cheering and whistling with the girls. She did look good, she always looked good. He chuckled to himself. He walked past the girls, mouthing a 'Thank you' to Mira, who grinned and nodded. When Lucy walked back out, he stood and clapped for her.

"Princess, you truly belong on a runway." He winked at her before he continued. "I didn't mean to interrupt you, but I've come to pick you up to take you to our date." He offered his arm to her.

Lucy giggled as she took his arm. "What, no carriage this time? I'm slightly disappointed." She said jokingly.

Loke grinned even wider. "No, a carriage can't take you where we are going."

Lucy looked at her Lion quizzically. "Then where are we going?"

He looked at Mira and the girls, smiling before looking back to his Lioness.

"We're headed to the Spirit World."


	3. The Tour

Author's Note: I do not own Fairy Tail or any of the characters. The idea to make up for the spirits world's time change I read in LastPilots fanfic called 'Home Again." I really liked this and thought that it was an excellent explanation of why Loke is always able to show up right when Lucy needs to be saved. If you have not read it already, I definitely recommend you check it out, it's one of my favorites.

Lucy didn't have any time to react. Much to her surprise, none of the girls protested when Loke had said he was taking her to the spirit world. In a warm, bright flash, Lucy was pulled from her living room with his arm around her waist. She held his arm in a death grip when she felt the floor disappearing. She closed her eyes when the light got too bright. Loke laughed a little at her reaction, gently stepping away from her. Lucy peeked one eye open to see if they had stopped moving.

They were standing in front of Loke's front door. The spirit world was more beautiful than she remembered. She took a moment to appreciate the uninterrupted twilight sky. She whirled around to face Loke, who was still smirking at his Lioness' reaction.

"Take me back Loke, I'm not losing three months again." Lucy chided him, making the Lion spirts' smirk grow into a full smile.

"Lucy my love, you aren't going to lose 3 months' time. You're in my home. Like me, most of your spirits have had the flow of time changed on their properties to match yours. After the S-class trials…." Loke trailed off, remembering the panic that ensued when Lucy stopped summoning them and even Loke couldn't force open his gate. The only consolation they had was that they knew she was still alive since their contracts were not broken.

He pulled himself from the memory. "Besides, it makes it much easier to be your knight in shining armor when I'm accurate with my arrivals." He grabbed Lucy's hand, kissing it quickly. "How about a quick tour before dinner?"

Lucy couldn't hold back her excitement. This was the first time she had actually been to his home. Loke opened the door for her. She walked into the large space, twirling around as she looked at the room before her. The dark leather furniture looked mostly brand new, except an arm chair that was closest to the fireplace, which currently had a warm fire crackling, washing the room in a soft golden light.

Loke took her hand, leading her through the entry way to his formal dining room. A large mahogany table with eight matching chairs dominated the room. A china cabinet that displayed cream colored dished with golden details on the edges and bar were on the wall opposite of the entry way. He stopped at the bar, pulling a chilled bottle of champagne. He pour two glasses, giving one to Lucy. They sipped as the continued through his home.

The kitchen was by far the most noticeably used room. A massive island dominated the center of it with a small breakfast bar and a couple of brushed bronze stools with navy blue seats sat up next to it. The counters were a dark granite, which looked sleek with the stainless steel appliances.

Lucy walked to the large gas stove, again, twirling around. She placed her hands on the island, looking straight at Loke. She looked so good in her dress, dancing around in his kitchen. He could imagine her in his button up shirt making cupcakes…. He shook his head to clear his thoughts.

"Your kitchen looks like tis out of a magazine." She placed a hand on her hip. "I want to bake here at least once. This is amazing."

Loke smiled as he walked to her. He kissed the tip of her nose. "Of course my Lioness, whatever your heart desires."

Cooking together had been something they had started doing together. She had never learned while she lived with her father, so she had only known the basics she had taught herself once she was living on her own. She had quickly taken to the skill, but she had a new found love for baking. Cupcakes had been the favorite. Much to Ezra's pleasure, she often made strawberry cupcakes after missions.

Lucy was also impressed by his 'study.' Bookcases dominated the walls with a large oak desk by a picture window that overlooked his back yard. There was another fireplace opposite the desk with two more leather chairs and a small ottoman. These were more worn than those in the living room. Classical music played from a hidden lacrima somewhere in the shelves.

"I can't believe you've never brought me to your personal library." She feigned offence, pulling away. She browsed the books that lined the shelves.

Loke chuckled. "Princess, I'll bring you books whenever you'd like." He took her empty champagne glass, sitting it on the desk. He opened the door to a stairwell, holding it as she walked through.

At the top of the stairs was a small home gym. She wasn't surprised that he worked out, but she had never really thought about it before. He also had free weights and a tread mill. He opened another door to a small room that Lucy fell in love with. The ceiling was replaced with a large sky light, giving a beautiful view of the twilight sky above. One wall was made of pink Himalayan salt. Another music lacrima was playing nature sounds, currently filling the room with a thunderstorm. There was a black mat that was embellished with golden stars, displaying the constellation of Leo, Regulus being the most prominent in the center of the mat. She walked slowly over to the mat, closing her eyes as she sunk onto it. Loke joined her, watching her in her brief meditation. She only sat for a few minutes, but felt instantly refreshed, only then realizing how much the spirit world had already affected her.

She smiled before opening her eyes, feeling Loke's gaze. "A picture would last longer my love" She opened one eye, flashing a smile at him. She closed it again, taking one last deep breath before opening her eyes, meeting Loke's.

"I thought you might like this room." He looked down at his hands, which now held Lucy's. "The only other room to show you is the bedroom if you want to see it. Otherwise we can go to the garden."

Lucy laughed. "Of course I want to see the bedroom, and the most important part, the bathroom."

Loke smiled as he stood up, offering his hand to help her up. Opening another door she walked into his bedroom. A king size bed dominated the room, with yet another fireplace on the wall across from it. Opposite of the door they were standing in was another large picture window. She walked to the closet door that was next to the window. She peeked her head into a large walk in closet, most of which was not filled.

"Tch, such a large closet that isn't properly used." Lucy shook her head in disappointment at the Lion spirit, who only chuckled.

"Well I hope this doesn't disappoint." He opened the door on the other side of the fireplace, revealing a bathroom nearly as large as the bedroom. The whole room was practically marble. The sink was deep and had a twin in front of a large mirror. The floor was also marble, different from the gorgeous dark cherry wood floors in the entirety of the house. The shower and bathtub were essentially their own room, being separated by a glass wall and sliding glass doors. The shower had jets that would spray you from the walls. Past the shower was a large marble claw foot tub, equipped with Jacuzzi jets. To the left of the shower/bathtub room was a small personal sauna.

Lucy stood with her mouth agape, earning another chuckle from Loke. She didn't have anything to say, this was a bathroom straight out of her dreams.

Loke grabber her arm, leading her down a different set of stairs. She all but danced her whole way down.

"Your home is gorgeous, I don't understand why you spend all of your time in my tiny apartment.

He led her to the back door in the kitchen, sliding the glass door open. Lucy walked out onto the patio, taking in the scene around her. To her right, she could see a pool with a Jacuzzi attached to it, along with a bar that you could sit at in the pool. To her left, a garden with a small stream running the length of his property.

Loke walked to the glass table on the patio, lighting the candles that he had placed. He pulled a silver chair out for her, earning a gorgeous smile from her.

"What's on the menu for tonight?"

Loke smiled at her fondly. "Lasagna. Homemade with my own super-secret recipe." It seemed that it had become a tradition. This was their second anniversary, but like their first date, they had lasagna. Loke brought out a silver tray, carrying two covered plates and a bottle of her favorite wine. He sat the plates down, then poured each of them a glass of wine. He analyzed her as she took her first bite.

"Loke this is easily the best lasagna I've ever had." She giggled at the slight blush her praise brought to his face.

Dinner was followed up with a creamy strawberry cheesecake that would have made Ezra die in pure bliss. They sat for a few moments, giving Lucy a little more time to take in her surroundings. She saw that the small stream flowed into a pond near the back of his property. She wasn't sure if any of the trees or flowers had the same names as they did on Earthland. Surrounding the pond were tress that looked like willow trees, but their leaves were silver, sparkling when the light hit them just right. There was a path that lead beneath the trees. What looked like lilac and smelled like lilac bushes, lined the pathway. They were navy blue blossoms outlined with silver with green leaves that had golden stems.

Loke pulled her chair out for her, offering his arm once again. They slowly made their wy down the white stone pathway.

"You have a beautiful home Loke." Lucy said wistfully. What she wouldn't give for a place like this on Earthland with him…

The path lead them underneath the willow trees, revealing a small hidden garden. The house was no longer visible from this point. There was a stone bench that sat at the edge of the pond, surrounded by so many different colored flowers. Loke took a seat next to her on the bench, wrapping his arm around her.

"This place is actually relatively new. I had the place rebuild when I came back to the spirit world after being exiled." Loke paused a moment, looking at her with a tender expression. "I actually… had it designed with you in mind," He kissed the top of her head.

Lucy blushed. "Well… you did build a house straight out of my dreams." She thought a second, before laughing and continuing. "Too bad I won't be able to spend much time here, you should have built it on Earthland." She kissed just beneath his jaw. "Thank you anyway, it's beautiful."

As she continued to gaze at the stars, he slipped his hand into his pocket, retrieving the small ring box. He tried to keep his breathing even, his hands from shaking and his heart from leaping out of his chest. He slid forward on the bench, facing her.

"I build the house here, in hopes that you would someday join me." He stood up from the bench, getting down on one knee in front of her. He opened the black box, revealing a princess cut yellow topaz, surrounded by diamonds, set on a gold band.

"Lucy my love, will you be my wife?"

Lucy's hand flew to her mouth when he got on one knee in front of her. She couldn't stop the tears from falling when he asked. She couldn't speak, so she simply nodded, holding her left hand to let him slip the ring on her finger. It fit neatly against the one he had given her before. She stood with Loke, her lips meeting his in a fierce kiss. Both were on cloud nine.

She wiped the tears from her eyes, thanking Lisanna for the waterproof mascara. Her hand rested on his shoulder. She looked at her ring, tears threatening to fall again. She looked into Loke's hazel eyes that were swimming with tears as much as hers. She kissed him again, lingering just a little as her thoughts reeled with what just happened.

She rested her head on his shoulder as he absent mindedly rubbed her back, practically humming with joy. "I'm going to be your wife" she whispered, barely believing the words that she said.

Loke hugged her a little tightened, kissing the top of her head. "Yes you are my Lioness." He laughed as he added "And Fairy Tail might be rubble after this celebration."

She laughed with him, reaching up to her tiptoes to place a kiss on his lips. His arm around her waist tightened, his other hand cupped her face gently. She smiled when he kissed the tip of her nose.

He started to pull away from their embrace, not wanting to push her but Lucy had other ideas. Her arms snaked around his neck. He looked briefly down at her. She reached up for another kiss, but this time he met her half way. Not playful like the last one, but raw and emotional. This kiss reminded him of many others that they had, all ending with him needing to leave back to the spirit work, and a cold shower. He was shocked when Lucy ended the kiss, usually he was the one who needed too.

What shocked him even more was what she had said next.

"You know, I never got to see how comfortable your bed was." Lucy smiled flirtatiously at her Lion, grabbing his hand, making her way back up the path to his home.

Loke only faltered a few steps before he had picked her up bridal style, carrying her the rest of the way.


	4. The First Time

Author's Note: I don't own Fairy Tail or any of the characters.

****** Lemons Lemons Lemons Lemons. If you're not interested, nothing important will be missed if you'd like to skip to the next chapter. Readers Discretions is Advised (a.k.a you youngins' out there shouldn't be reading this… we all know you probably will though)

Lucy giggled as Loke rushed back to his house with her in his arms. He bounded up the stairs, taking two at a time, amazing her yet again with his strength. He reached the bedroom, all but kicking the door down. Lucy went to chide him about being so destructive in his own home when her lips were captured by his. He walked to his king size bed, laying her gently down into the middle. He lightly positioned himself over her, his hands on either side of her head, one knee between hers. He pulled away from their kiss, his hazel eyes studying her face.

Her lips were slightly swollen from their kiss, her eyes gleaming with excitement, darkened by what could only be lust. Combined with her sweet scent, the whole scene was intoxicating to him. Loke looked for any sign of hesitation. "My love, are you sure you…." He trailed off in his question. As much as he didn't want to stop and all of his instincts screaming to continue, he would never want to force her to do something she wasn't ready for. They'd started to get intimate before, but he could sense her indecisiveness, so he'd always stop. This seemed different.

Lucy smiled at her Lion. She shyly nodded her head to his question, not fully trusting her voice. She was more nervous than anything, she didn't really know what to expect, or what to do. As if he could read her thoughts, Loke leaned back down, kissing her gently. He lowered his body to her, careful as to not put his full weight on her. One hand rubbed her cheek delicately as he looked into her eyes. "Lucy, I'll be very gentle, I'll guide you." He kissed her again, running his tongue along her bottom lip, asking for entrance.

She smiled as he kissed her again. In the back of her mind, she thought of all the books that Ezra had lent her, trying to remember things that she might be able to put to use. Their tongues battled for dominance, her hand sliding up his back, the other firmly locked in his ginger hair. She felt his hand slide to the back of her neck, working its way into her hair. The other slid its way down her back. He grabbed her voluptuous bottom, squeezing it ever so slightly. The feeling made Lucy moan against his lips. The hand in her hair tightened at the sound, his member hardened against her thigh. Lucy couldn't help but moan again.

Loke smiled, his thoughts wandering just a moment to how rough she might like it. He hardened even more at the thought of rough sex with her. He quickly pushed those thoughts away. There would be other days where he could have it how he likes. Tonight was about Lucy.

His hand worked deftly up her dress, releasing the bra that confined her large chest. He helped her slid both the bra and dress off, tossing it somewhere off the bed. Her hands quickly made light work of the buttons on his shirt, sliding it off his broad shoulders. Her hands ran up and down his chest, biting her lower lip. Loke resumed his position on top of her, biting her bottom lip as she just had. Her hands slid down to his belt, pushing his pants down so he could kick them off, joining her dress on his floor. He kissed her cheek, tracing her jawline with his tongue. He gently nipped at her ear, hearing her breath hitch at the touch. His nose skimmed along her neck, stopping at her shoulder. He bit and sucked at her seemingly sensitive spot there. Her hands pulled tighter in his hair. He slid a hand to her breast, gently pinching the dark pink bud.

Lucy was being tormented. Every touch to her body set her aflame, making a need known, pulsating between her legs. She bit her lip in an attempt to keep her moans muffled. She couldn't, however, keep back moaning his name when his lips took hold of her other breast. The sensation had her teetering on the edge of bliss. His tongue swirled and sucked on one rosy bud, the other hand switching from rubbing and massaging to gentle pinches and tugs. Loke switched, his mouth enveloping the one he was previously fondling.

"Lookkeee..." her voice had a hint of desperation to it. His member twitched to the sound of his name. Nothing had sounded sexier. He could feel the heat pooling between her thighs. He trailed kisses down her stomach, his hands moving to her hips. He traced her panty line, looking into her eyes, asking for permission. Lucy looked away. The sight of his head between her legs was undeniably arousing, but she was also slightly embarrassed. Loke brought his face back up to hers, his hand palming against her cloth covered entrance.

"Lucy, look at me." He bit her bottom lip. She complied, looking directly into his eyes, surprised that they were green.

"You are beautiful, there's not a part of you that you should be embarrassed about. I want to taste you, all of you." His voice had become silk. Lucy nodded, her hand running through his ginger locks as his kissed his way to her panties. He looked at her again. Lucy smiled at her Lion, her eyes closing as he slid them off her hips.

Loke fought to keep control, her scent enticing the primal lion in him out to play. His tongue danced around her clit, making her pull his head closer, burying his nose into her scent. He wrapped his tongue around the sensitive bud and sucked, eliciting a scream from her. He continued to tease her, from darting in and out of her core to ravaging her clit. Lucy fell over the cliff, screaming his name, stars dancing behind her eyelids. Loke smirked, wiping his face, continuing to rub her sensitive nub.

Lucy's legs were shaking, her core pulsating again with need as he continued to rub small circles over her clit. As he climbed back over her, she forced her lips against his, arching her hips to rub against him. Her fingers traced along his boxers, every now and then dipping just below. She could feel him throb against her leg. Her hand cupped him through the fabric, earning a low growl in his chest. The sound of his growl sent more heat pooling between her legs.

"Do… do that again." She whispered softly in his ear.

Loke grinned, like he was about to claim his prize. "You'll get more than just that my lioness."

Lucy slid his boxers down, Loke kicking them somewhere towards the edge of the bed. He rubbed the length of him against her clit, making Lucy tingle. He nipped at her neck, eliciting small moans from her. He placed himself at her entrance, pausing once more to make sure it was what she wanted. He couldn't help but smirk when she arched herself against him, eager for more contact.

He pushed himself in, slowly. For Loke, it was maddening. It took every ounce of concentration to not lose it as he slid in further. "Luuuucccceeee…" He nearly growled her name. He felt her body tense. He paused, kissing her cheek, her forehead.

Lucy nestled her head into his shoulder, pressing herself further onto him. She bit into his neck to keep from screaming in pain. He made no movement, letting her take control. She let him fill her completely, adjusting to him. She slowly started rolling her hips against him, the pain melting into ecstasy. Loke began to move in time with her, trying to find that sweet spot. Lucy began to whimper, her nails starting to rake his back a little harder. He started to hit faster, growling at how tight she was around him. He kissed her neck again, nipping a little harder before soothing it with his tongue. Her moans were turning into screams, his name tumbling out of her mouth, nails dragging down his back. He could feel his sack tighten, his release threatening to come. He snapped his hips harder and faster against her, growls uncontrollably rolling out of his chest. He bit her shoulder, drawing blood. Lucy screamed once more, biting into his neck, falling to pieces around him. Her core squeezed him, as he thrust into her again, he spilled over into her. Her core milked everything he offered her.

Loke moved to lay on his side, keeping his arm wrapped around her. The fire crackled softly in the fireplace in front of them. Lucy rolled her head towards him, lifting her head. Loke smiled, giving her a kiss. She cuddled up into his chest, his hand lazily drawing on her back. They laid quietly, watching the flames dance.

"Thank you." She said simply. Not just because it had been amazing, not that she had any experience, but for how he had erased any of her fears and insecurities. How he had been patient enough to wait until now for this.

Loke chuckled, kissing the top of her head. "Anytime." He looked down at her, seeing how tired she was 'Spirit world has to be affecting her.' He thought to himself. "How about… a nice hot bath… then I get you home so you can sleep." He offered.

Lucy nodded, sitting up quickly. She bounded off his bed towards the bathroom. He grabbed two towels out of the closet, hanging them near the shower door. He showed Lucy where he kept the bath supplies, which in all honesty he had bought for her. While he filled up the tub, Lucy decided salts to use. She brought a cap full of lavender salts to the tub, sprinkling them in. Loke climbed into the water first, making room for Lucy. She sat between his legs, her back against his chest. She sighed happily.

"This… this is how baths are supposed to be." She sank a little deeper into the water.

He chuckled, leaning over the side of the tub to flip a switch, starting the jets. He watched as she relaxed even more. He grabbed a sponge, squeezing body wash onto it, and started to work. He washed Lucy's entire body, massaging as he went. He then grabbed shampoo, and massaged it into her scalp.

Lucy mumbled unintelligibly, reveling in how good it felt to have someone wash her hair. He pulled the nozzle to rinse her hair out. She relaxed back against him, his arms wrapping around her. Once the water cooled, Loke drained the tub. He helped Lucy out, leading her to the shower. He flicked it on, testing it until it was the perfect temperature. He led Lucy under the spray, cleaning any dirt or soap left on her body. He left the water running as they got out. He dried every inch of her skin, starting with her arms, moving to her back, her chest, then one leg at a time. He wrapped the towel around her, touching the tip of her nose.

"I'm going to shower quickly, feel free to roam. Then we can get you back to Earthland." He hopped back into the shower, making a show of wetting his ginger hair.

Lucy shook her head and made her way back to his room. She stole his boxers and a tshirt he had left on the chair by the fireplace, walking into the meditation room. She sat on the black mat, tracing the constellation, pausing on Regulus. She crossed her legs, letting her palms rest on her knees. Her eyes closed and she started to relax, breathing deep and slow. She felt the tiredness melt away, feeling almost refreshed again. She was surprised that the spirit world hadn't taken more of a toll on her. As she sat with her thoughts just floating by, she became aware of Loke's presence that sat next to her. On a final inhale, she opened her eyes, smiling at her spirit.

He smiled as he helped her up, looking over her attire. He held her clothes on his arm. "You know, I went looking for you to take my boxers and tshirt back… but… they look better on you anyway." He kissed her softly. "Let's get you home."

Loke lifted her up, cradling her. She rested her head against his shoulders. The warm wind picked up around them, she closed her eyes again before the light got to bright. They appeared in her apartment, next to her bed. Loke pulled the covers back, placing the celestial mage softly in side before joining her. She scooted up next to him, curling into his chest. He held her tight against him, letting his face rest in her hair.

"Goodnight my love, sweet dreams." He whisoered into her ear. Her breathing had already evened out, the only thing that let him know she heard him was a sleepy smiled that adorned her face. He closed his eyes, sleep quickly overcoming him.


	5. The Announcements

Author's Note: I do not own Fairy Tail or any of the characters

Lucy woke up to the sunlight pouring through her windows. She could tell it wasn't an hour that should be deemed acceptable. She was still nestled in Loke's chest, his warmth radiating off him. She closed her eyes, in a vain attempt to fall back to sleep. After a few minutes, she sighed, knowing that sleep had left her. She quietly slipped out of bed and tiptoed to her kitchen. She pulled out ingredients to make french toast, day dreaming about the night before. If it wasn't for the ring that now sat primly on her finger against her old one, she would have sworn the whole night had been just that, a dream. One thought had occurred to her now that hadn't before.

'How did I stay for so long in the spirt world? She pondered, making a mental note to bring it up to Loke later, flipping french toast onto plates.

She felt arms wrap around her waist, a kiss placed on her neck. She giggled, turning to bury her face into the chest behind her.

"Good morning my love." He breathed into her hair.

She reached onto her tiptoes to kiss him, grabbing the plates, bringing them to the small breakfast bar. Loke leaned on one elbow, watching her flit about her kitchen, grabbing syrup and glasses.

'Have I told you how good you look in my shirts?' he asked her flirtatiously, wagging his eyebrows at her.

Lucy blushed. She still had his white t-shirt on that she had slipped on before leaving the spirit world. The boxers she had been wearing had been lost at some point during the night. It had been too warm with Loke in bed with her.

"Orange or Grape juice?" Lucy asked her Lion, turning to the fridge. She bent over to reach inside the fridge, giving him a show, giggling when Loke let out a low growl.

"Luuuuuccceee" he whined. "If you don't want to spend the rest of today in bed, I suggest you don't tempt me."

Lucy sauntered to the counter, pouring orange juice into the two glasses and sat them in front of Loke. She stole a kiss. "There's nothing I'd enjoy more, but if we don't show up at the guild we will definitely have visitors. I'm actually surprised we haven't had any yet." She sat down to eat, Loke had already devoured his. He started to clean up while she ate.

Lucy couldn't help but watch him, the way his muscles rippled with the smallest movements. His ginger hair was mussed from sleep, his shorts riding low on his hips, showing two dimples near the base of his spine. He turned, drying his hands, raising his eyebrows at catching his bride-to-be checking him out.

"You sure you don't wanna take me up on my offer?" Loke chuckled, earning a giggle out of her. She got up to put the dishes in the sink behind him, wrapping her arms around his waist. He kissed the tip of her nose.

"Mmmmm… maybe we have a little time" She whispered, reaching up to kiss him. Loke leaned and met her lips, grabbing behind her thighs, picking her up, eliciting a squeal from her against his lips. He nipped her bottom lip before running the tip of his tongue across it. Lucy's hand ran through his hair. He walked her to the counter, setting her down on it. He let his hands push the white shirt up her thin waist. She started drawing circles at the base of his neck, making goosebumps raise on his body, not to mention other parts of him as well.

Before Lucy knew what was happening, she was standing on the kitchen floor, Loke pulling her shirt down further and readjusting himself, moving in front of her. She didn't have time to ask what was going on before she heard Happy yelling "LLLLLLUUUUUUUUSSSSSSHHHHHHIIIIIIIIII" from her bedroom.

She scowled, she had gotten use to not having break-ins, cursing herself for jinxing it earlier. "WHAT HAVE I TOLD YOU ABOUT USING MY WINDOW AS A DOOR?" she yelled at the intruders, Happy flying into her chest.

"We've missed you Lushi" Happy whined.

Natsu walked into the kitchen with his signature grin. It dimmed slightly seeing Loke standing shirtless. He just wanted to sneak into bed with her, breathe in her strawberry scent and sleep in her comfy bed. He knew it was rare that Loke spent the night, so he thought he would have been okay. "Lucceeee, we came to sleep and then you weren't sleeping." He pouted.

Lucy stared at him in confusion, Happy nodding, already starting to fall asleep in her arms. Loke's ears twitched in irritation. Natsu was a guild mate, a good friend and a very naïve mind, but this was his Queen.

"Natsu, we've had this discussion before…" Loke started.

"Yeah, you told me that I couldn't share a bed with anyone with Lisanna because she was with me."

"Natsu, that means anyone, even me. I'm your partner, nakama, but Lisanna is your mate." Lucy stepped forward, touching Loke's arm. She'd felt his tension relax a little with her contact.

Natsu shook his head. "Lisanna isn't my mate, so that's why it's okay that I've been sneaking into your bed in the mornings."

Loke and Lucy stood in shock.

"What do you mean she's not your mate? Since when?" she asked incredulously.

"Since, well, ever I guess. Master talked to all of us Dragon Slayers after the ball. I figured it wasn't her. She's still my nakama though."

Lucy stood baffled. "She's never said anything, to any of us." She whispered to herself. She was crushed for Lisanna, she knew how the silver hair mage felt about the hot head.

Loke pinched the bridge of his nose, inhaling slowly. His features were becoming more cat- like in his anger. How daft could the pink fire eater be? "Natsu, this Lisanna thing will be discussed later, but what I want to know is why you're still sneaking into bed with my fiancé."

His eyes widened, darting to Lucy's hand. Sure enough, glinting in the sunlight, sitting on her left hand was a new ring. He furrowed his eye brows. "That wasn't there last week" he murmured to himself.

Lucy was the first to pounce. "Last WEEK? You were still sneaking into my bed as of last WEEK? For how long?" She was furious.

Natsu rubbed the back of his head, grinning sheepishly. "Yeah… I know Loke rarely spends the night with you, and I know you get cold… and you smell so good and your bed is so comfy… but you always kicked me out after you started seeing Loke more before the ball, so I just would leave before you woke up." He shrugged. "I don't see what the big deal is since Lisanna isn't…"

Loke cut him off, his voice nothing short of a roar. "She's mine. I told you the last time you came while I was here. She is my Lioness. My mate. She's going to be my wife. This is your last warning."

Lucy looked at her Lion, his hair looked more like a mane, his eyes had become more cat- like, a piercing shade of green, canines slightly elongating. The "beast" side of him appealed to her. "Loke" she said softly.

He blinked, looking at her. She intertwined her fingers with his, giving them a gentle squeeze.

Natsu was the one to freeze this time. 'He said his mate. But how… Lucy… Lucy's my mate.' His hands curled into fists, thoughts swirling, and fire blazing from his stomach to his chest.

"Natsu, cool it, you're going to burn my apartment down." Lucy warned.

He looked at his hands. "She's your mate?" Natsu asked Loke tersely, struggling to keep his fire under control.

Loke nodded curtly. "For lack of a better word, yes. My Lioness. My Queen." He looked to Lucy again to keep him calm. He made a mental note that there was more that he hadn't thought to mention before. Lucy looked at him in confusion, but nodded.

Natsu felt himself set ablaze again, dragon force threatening to take over. "Lucy is my mate."

Magic charged the air. Lucy stepped between the two of them. "Enough, I will have none of this, especially not in here." She looked at the both of them. Loke nodded, keeping his stance in case Natsu decided to make a move.

Natsu didn't move a muscle.

"Natsu, leave, go to the guild. We need to talk to the Master. Loke and I will follow shortly, I need to get ready." She looked directly at him, breathing a small breath of relief when Happy started to pull him towards the door.

Once he was out, Loke crushed Lucy to him in a hug. "I'm sorry"

Lucy smiled, placing a kiss just under his jaw since that was all she could reach. "We'll figure this all out, it's a misunderstanding is all. I can't believe Lisanna never told us. I wonder if Mira knows." She wondered aloud. She paused a moment. "I understood the Lioness thing, but not the Queen bit. What was it that you said you didn't think to mention to me?" she asked Loke in confusion.

"I only said the Queen bit out loud…" he trailed off, half smiling. "It seems like there are more things that even I was unaware about that are coming about." He hugged her tighter. "Tonight my love, I'll answer and tell you everything, but let's get this thing straightened out with Natsu. I'd rather not try to kill him."

Lucy nodded, turning to head to her room to change. Loke smacked her bottom as she walked away, winking at her when she turned her head. Smirking, she pulled her shirt up to her waist, giving him another show.

Loke chuckled, finishing up the dishes, his mood from minutes ago completely gone.

Natsu stormed into the guild, making everyone jump as the doors slammed open. He stalked past everyone, straight into the Master's office. After a few minutes, the guild resumed its normal bustle, forgetting the weird entrance.

Loke and Lucy walked into the guild, faces glowing. Mira was the first to spot them, squealing in delight. She bounded up to them, hugging Lucy, still squealing. "I'm so excited, congrats you two. Oh I can't wait for there to be little blonde and ginger children running around here." She gushed.

Lisanna sighed. 'He must have tried to sneak in this morning after I told him. Maybe I shouldn't have. I just wanted him to be prepared.' She frowned in her thoughts.

Lucy smiled up at Loke. Most of the guild looked to the group in confusion about the outburst. She held her left hand for everyone to see. "We're getting married."

Everyone crowded the two, the girls gushing over the ring, most of the guys grumbling about her officially being off the market, and a few, like Gray, who nodded in approval. They started to make their way further into the guild towards Master's office, when an argument broke out who was going to be their children's Godparents. Lucy didn't have to look to know that Ezra and Mirajane were in that argument.

Lisanna managed to snag Lucy, whispering into her ear as she hugged her "You need to talk to Natsu." She saw the anger flash across Loke's face.

Lucy nodded "We already know, that's why we are here. He stopped in this morning unexpectedly." She pulled away from the take-over mage, looking at her. "I can't believe you never said anything to us."

Lisanna shrugged. She hadn't wanted to talk about it, hoping that Natsu was just wrong. This morning's display shattered that hope. She wanted to envy Lucy, but she couldn't bring herself to. She couldn't imagine the pain this put her in, her best friend and her soon-to-be husband were now rivals. She was forced to choose a side.

They finally made their way to the door, Lucy knocking lightly.

"Yes, come in my children." Makrov responded.

She looked to Loke. "I'm yours, nothing is changing that. Please keep calm." She thought towards him, hoping that what she had pieced together from this morning was correct.

Loke's eyes widened a bit before smiling to her, nodding. He raised her hand to his lips, kissing her rings and opened the door, allowing her to walk in first.

She looked at Natsu, who was staring out the window, then to Makrov. "We need answers, what is going on?" she asked helplessly.

Makrov leaned back in his chair, looking tired. "Close the door, there's much to discuss."


	6. Explanations

Author's Note: I do not own Fairy Tail or any of the characters.

The whole guild watched as Loke closed the door, resuming their normal morning routine. Only Lisanna continued to stare at the door.

Master motioned to the seats crammed in front of his desk. Lucy took a seat while Loke opted to stand behind her. Both of them looked to Makrov, Natsu still staring out the window.

Makrov cleared his throat, he wasn't sure where to start. Lucy looked up to Loke, then to Natsu. She was the first to break the ice. "There's still somethings that I need to know about Loke and I, which is something we can discuss at a later date. What is important is that I know that I'm his… mate… of sorts…" she looked to Loke to confirm, who gave her a warm smile.

Master nodded as well. "There's more to that, but like you said, discussions for later." He looked at Natsu, who still was looking out the window. "I've explained to Natsu that Celestial spirits have… mates. That their mate is determined at their creation. Destiny, if you will. This plan has already been laid out for them. Most have actually already found their mates, Loke, being the first to have a human mate. They are bound to the other, for life. They have a special bond, more of which you can get the specifics later, though I'm sure you've started to notice some already. You will be the only mate for Loke, he will never have another, even if something happens to you." He studied the couple in front of him. Lucy's eyes were wide with worry, gripping the hand on her shoulder. Natsu looked at Lucy, the anger in his eyes melting as they met hers, only to reappear at the sight of Loke's hand on her shoulder. He returned to staring out the window.

Makrov continued. "Dragon slayers only will have one mate as well… but it's not predestined for them. When they come into age for mating, their bodies respond to those around them, searching for the most compatible."

Natsu cut in. "It's still not in my control. My brain makes these decisions unconsciously, like breathing. Lisanna was an option, but she hadn't been around when I had come of age, so I naturally chose the one who was closest and understood me the most. Who knew me best. When she had come back, I already considered you my mate. I didn't realize that mates weren't just "made" for us. I rejected her as my mate without realizing this." He looked down at his hands before quietly continuing. "I've never been very good with navigating emotions or relationships. I didn't realize what was going on with you and Loke in the beginning. Hell, I have been clueless for a year. Lisanna would try to explain, but I never understood it. Not until last night, after he had taken you to the spirit world. She came to see me, told me you were going to marry him. She had to explain that too." He stopped, not knowing what else to say.

Again, Lucy spoke first. "So where do we go from here? What happens with Natsu if a mate rejects him?" Her heart clenched at the sadness in Natsu's face when she had said "rejected"

Master Makrov cleared his throat. "Honestly, we aren't sure. There's not much on it, usually, they don't reject. This is clearly a circumstance that no one has ever dealt with or will probably ever have to handle ever again. The adoration, love and protection of the dragon usually can't be denied by the mate. My theory is that since he had never claimed you, not physically or verbally, and you had never accepted it, that he will be able to choose a new mate." He took a deep breath before continuing. "This is where it might be difficult. One of you might have to leave until he chooses a new mate, or we might stay in this situation. Like Natsu said, this isn't a conscious decision. Since he has already thinks you're his mate, it will prevent him from choosing a new one."

Lucy looked to Loke. "Maybe we can take longer missions."

He rubbed her shoulders and smiled reassuringly "And sometime in the spirit world too, I'm sure the Spirit King has somethings he'd like to talk to you about as well."

Natsu sat in silence, rejection beginning to sink in. He didn't look at any one. 'She didn't even consider me. I told her everything and not once did she even consider it. How is it that I can choose a mate that doesn't want me? I wonder if I had said so sooner, maybe not marked her permanently, but verbally. Maybe that would have changed it.'

"Natsu" Lucy said his name quietly. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. She fidgeted, continuing uncomfortably. "Natsu, I'm sorry. I hate seeing you hurt, and I'm the one that's hurting you now. You're my best friend, my partner, my nakama, the whole reason I found Fairy Tail. I don't want to lose you. I want to come back to my nakama, you included. I hope I can." She stood, walking towards the door. Before exiting, she turned to Master. "I'll go to the Spirit World while I'm not on jobs. Loke will come and grab them for me. I'll see if Cana can give me a communication card." She smiled sadly.

"You don't have to leave." Natsu said suddenly, panicking. She was leaving. This was his only chance he could convince her. He needed her to stay. This was his mate. He looked at her, reaching for her hand. "Please, don't leave. Stay here, stay with me."

Lucy shook her head. "Natsu, I'm not your mate." She said it firmly. The look on his face killed her. She realized he needed this, he needed a verbal rejection. "You're my nakama, I care for you, but I'm not going to be your mate. I've already accepted Loke's claim. Even if I had known I had a choice, I would choose Loke. I belong with him. I was made for Loke. I was not meant to be your mate Natsu." She struggled to keep her voice from breaking.

Loke squeezed her hand. His heart wanted to soar with her declaration, but he couldn't, knowing his guild mate was hurt because of it. He opened the door, nodding to the master. They stopped just outside the door. Lucy had crumbled to tears, leaning into Loke's chest. He held her silently, wiping the tears from her face as she fought to regain control. He listened to her thoughts swirl in her head. He quietly added in. "You know it's what needed to be done so he could chose his rightful mate. It will be better in time." Lucy nodded her head against his chest.

The guild was unaware of anything that had just happened. Lucy decided she'd let Natsu decide if he wanted to explain anything. She walked to the bar with Loke, a smile back on her face.

"Loke and I have some things that we need to clear up, which means I have to go talk to Moustache Man. I'll explain when everything is set in stone. We'll be gone for a while, I just didn't want you all too worry." She looked at all the girls at the bar, who were starting to protest. "I promise, I'm not running off to get married, no plans will be made without any of you." She hugged all of them.

When she hugged Lisanna she whispered "He's going to need you. Give him time, but don't give up. Despite what he's said, you're his mate. Not me. I was meant for Loke." Lisanna nodded, smiling slightly.

The celestial mage turned to Cana "Can I have a communication card? That way you girls can call and talk to me whenever you miss me… or when I get too bored while Loke is handling business." Cana just smirked, slipping her the card.

Loke wrapped his arm around Lucy, opening his gate. The warm golden light swirled about them, taking them from the guild to his home. He knew she needed some time, he decided their conversation could wait.

"My love, would you like to soak in a bath?"

Lucy smiled at her Lion. "A bath sounds lovely." She kissed him gently.

"Make yourself at home, I'll go run the water." He strode out of the room, towards the stairs. Lucy smiled after him. She took a seat in the worn chair near the fireplace. She thought about Natsu, how harsh she had been with him. 'I never even considered being his mate.' She had a hard time imagining it. She couldn't think about what it might do to Loke. She never wanted to find out.

Loke started running the water, dropping a capful of lavender bubble bath, along with a few drops of chamomile essential oils. He lit candles, scents of honeysuckle and jasmine mixing in. He shut off the water, returning down stairs. He stopped a moment before disturbing her. He wanted to take in the vision of her, so naturally in his home. Their home.

Lucy noticed him return, giving him a smile. She reached her hand to him, standing up when he took it. She twirled into him, laughing as she crashed into him, nearly knocking the both of them over. As they started towards the bathroom, Lucy bumped her hip to him, catching him off guard and nearly knocking him into the wall.

"That's it Luce, you're being tossed in." Loke growled playfully.

Lucy jumped away from him, eluding his attempt to snatch her up. She screeched, running away, bounding up the stairs. Breathlessly, she ran into his room, closing and locking it. She pulled her shirt off, continuing her half run to the bathroom, closing and locking it as well, kicking her skirt. Two arms wrapped around her waist, his lips at her ears.

"Gotcha" he chuckled, easily restraining her despite her struggles. He had lost his suit as he resummoned himself to the bathroom.

"Loke don't, oh please don't throw me in, everything will be wet and it's not a relaxing way in." She pleaded anything that came to mind. She really hated being thrown into any sort of water, even if it was just a bath.

He relented, releasing her. During her struggle against him he had unsnapped her bra. As she pulled away from him, he yanked it off her. Her face flushed at the sudden exposure, but she quickly shimmied her panties off her hips, quickly stepping into the tub. She sighed, sinking further into the water until she was nearly up to her nose. Loke flipped the jets on, smiling as he watched her body relax more. He pulled a chair up behind her head, taking her hair out of the bun she had thrown her hair into. He lightly massaged he scalp. He rubbed down behind her ears, her neck and started to rub her shoulders, then working his way back to the top of her head. He rubbed small circles at her temples, across her forehead, down her nose and to her cheek bones. She had relaxed completely, dangerously close to sleep. He ran his fingertips across her eyebrows, effectively sending her to sleep. She basically purred with the treatment. He continued to rub her head for a few minutes.

Lucy woke up a few minutes later, partially freaking out. "How long did I sleep?" She sat up, bubbles clinging to her face, neck and shoulders.

Loke chuckled. "Maybe 10 minutes my love." He stood, holding his hand out to the blonde.

She emptied the tub, walking to the shower. She grabbed the band on his boxers, letting it snap back into place. "Off. You're showering with me."

Again, Loke couldn't help but chuckle. "Yes master." He slipped his boxers off, tossing them outside of the glass door. He started the water, standing behind her. He tipped her head back, massaging her scalp again. He squeezed vanilla scented shampoo into his hand, lathering her hair and rinsing it out. He then lathered her hair with conditioner, then he soaped up a loofah, gently scrubbing every inch of her body. He rinsed her hair and body.

Lucy's smile never left her face. She returned the favor, repeating the process he had done to her. She rubbed his ears a little longer, enjoying the purr she solicited from him. Loke handed her a fluffy towel as he stepped out. Walking back into the bed room, he handed her another shirt and a pair of boxers.

"I can run and get you anything you need from your apartment Princess." He looked at her, watching her as she slipped the shirt over her head.

"There's no need, it's not like I won't be there later tonight." Lucy shrugged, sliding into the boxers.

Loke walked to her. "Princess… you're not going back, remember? You're staying here. At least for a little while."

Lucy looked at him in confusion. "Loke, I can't stay here, you know I can't survive here for very long."

He shook his head. "I wasn't going to discuss any of this tonight, I just wanted to pamper you, but you'll be fine here." He looked at the celestial mage who still looked very confused. "I mean, if you'd like I can explain it tonight. It's not like any of it is really life changing per se…." smiling when Lucy nodded excitedly.

"I'll go make you some tea. I'll wait for you until you're ready."

Lucy hurried though her normal nightly routine, barely brushing through her hair. She all but ran through the house, earning a laugh out of Loke when she burst into the kitchen. He was sitting on the couch by the fireplace.

"This has to be the first time that your couch has been used." She commented playfully. Loke patted the cushion next to him, wrapping his arms around her as she snuggled against him.

Lucy sighed in contentment. "Okay, so. What did you not mention to me before, why will I not be affected by the spirit world, what other weird things can we do besides being able to communicate through thoughts?"

"Well, I've told you before that I'm the closest thing the Spirit world has to royalty besides the Spirit King. The Spirit King hasn't always been the Spirit King, this changes every few million years or so, since we all are immortal. I'm technically next in line. This won't happen for many years still, not in anyone's lifetime now or even their descendants." He mussed her hair, playfully. "So not only are you my Queen because you're my Lioness, mate of the Lion who's often referred to as a King, but you'll literally be my Queen when I become Spirit King." He paused, knowing there were more questions.

"Hold on, I'll still be around when you become King… but you said it won't happen in anyone's lifetime…"

"That brings me to the next point I didn't think to mention. The ring I gave you before, the one that I said was a symbol of our bond… it's like our version of a mark from a dragon slayer…. Just way more classy and prettier to look at. When you accepted it, it's like a verbal acceptance. We didn't officially "bond" until last night, still needing the act of physical love to seal it. That's why we've just started to see all of the different things that we are able to do now. Being bonded gives us a few things, we can talk without needing to actually say anything, being near each other not only improves our moods but also can help healing, we're stronger together when fighting and we'll be able to find each other if we ever get separated. We'll feel "tugs" to the direction of each other. Like I said, nothing really life changing." He paused, knowing the next part was going to cause the most questions.

"You didn't answer…"

"I know, I'm getting there." He chuckled at her impatience. "I talked to the Spirit King, on how all of this would work, with you being human and not Spirit. Grandpa Crux also aided us in our research. Since you're human, one other thing our bond does is increases our stamina, so that you can stay here longer and not have the spirit world drain you, and vice versa for me in the human world."

Lucy smiled, liking the idea of being able to spend more time with her Spirits here in their world. She looked to Loke, chiding him playfully. "Still haven't answered the Queen part yet…"

"This part can be… life changing. But it's only if you decide to, and there's no need to decide right away, this is something that can be talked about and done a long time from now. Because you're human and have bonded with me, you are able to… join me. Here in the Spirit World, as a Spirit. You can choose this as soon as you would like, or you can live out your normal life and join me when your time comes. Or you can choose to not join me at all. You won't necessarily have to have a key, we all have… families here that have always existed and our key's get passed between each other. You'd become part of my family and I'd pass my key onto someone else, and they'd become "Leo the Lion." But you could always have your own key if that was what you desired." Loke looked to his Princess who was deep in thought.

"Not really that hard of a decision. When my time comes, I'll join you. Whether it be when I'm old and gray, or tragically young." She grimaced. "If I wait… will I stay old and wrinkled and gray? Or if I do it now, will I be able to continue my life here in Fairy Tail or would I have to come to the Spirit World. Would I be able to visit or would I have to stay here?" Her eyebrows furrowed in thought.

Loke chuckled slightly. "You wouldn't be old and gray if you waited, you'd return to your prime. As for the other questions, I have no positive answer, in which would have to be discussed with the Spirit King. Normally, you'd have to stay here, you wouldn't have a gate to pass through, or if you did, a celestial mage would have to call you, just like the rest of us. You seem to have a special bond with him, who knows, maybe there'd be more exceptions."

Lucy nodded, excited about the future. "Well… I'll wait for my time to join you." She snuggled closer into Loke's chest. "If Fairy Tail will have me back after this. I just hope they can understand." She sighed, reaching her head up to kiss under his jawline.

Loke wasn't sure if his chest had actually exploded or not. Lucy hadn't even hesitated on her answer. He was more than happy to enjoy her with her human years, then he'd have his Queen by his side for eternity.

He cupped her face, bringing his down to meet hers. This time she was the one to bite his lip, eliciting a low growl from his chest. She moved to straddle him, pushing him back against the couch. Loke's hand ran up her thigh, the other pulling her closer.

Lucy broke the kiss, biting her bottom lip, wondering how to ask for what she wanted.

"Lucy love, what the matter?" He brushed a stray strand of hair away from her face, rubbing her cheek with his thumb, his hazel eyes reflecting the fire dancing behind her.

Lucy smiled, confidence filling her. Her eyes narrowed, giving him a sultry look. She leaned in, whispering seductively, making chills run down his spine.

"There's something that I want to try…"


	7. Experiments

Author's Note: I do not own Fairy Tail or any of the characters.

Again, this is will not have anything to do with the plot of the story, feel free to skip to the next chapter.

*********** LEMONS LEMONS LEMONS LEMONS LEMONS LEMONS LEMONS LEMONS **********

Loke grabbed her face, crushing his lips against his own. 'Since when did she become so confident?' He mulled over in his thoughts, quickly losing focus on them when the blonde straddled him, one hand running through his ginger locks, the other grasping his shoulder for support. Loke nibbled her bottom lips, greedily dominating the kiss when she complied.

Lucy broke the kiss, her heart pounding and completely breathless. Loke placed kisses across her jawline, nipping lightly at her ear, sending shivers down her spine. His continued his trail of kisses down her neck, smirking ever so slightly at her reactions to him. She closed her eyes, reveling in the sensations he was giving her. She slowly began grinding herself against him, his hands on her waist, guiding her. His moans pooling heat straight between her thighs. She could feel him harden against her, only enticing her more. She managed to pull herself off his lap, earning a pout from him, only to be replaced with lustful excitement when she started pulling him towards the bedroom.

She had no sooner closed the bedroom door when Loke pushed her up against it, claiming her lips once again in a kiss. Her arms snaked around his neck, pressing herself closer to him. His hands slid from her waist to her hips, giving a quick squeeze to her bottom before reaching to the back of her thighs, swiftly picking her up, keeping her pressed against the door.

Lucy squealed out of surprise, nipping his bottom lip. He smiled against her lips, both lost in the consuming kiss. Loke pulled her away from the door, carrying her towards the bed. He was going to place her on the bed, but Lucy wiggled until he let her stand. She took a seat on the end of the bed, looking at Loke seductively.

"Strip. Without using your magic." She grinned at the look he threw her.

'Very confident. If that's what she wants…' Loke narrowed his eyes in challenge. He reached for the bottom of his shirt, pulling it over his head, revealing his chiseled torso. He tossed it to the chair near the fireplace. He glanced back to the gorgeous blonde perched on the end of his bed. Lust filled her darkened chocolate eyes, her perfect white teeth biting on her plump ruby bottom lip.

"Hardly fair that I'm the only one losing clothing my Lioness" His eyes met hers.

She smirked at his challenge, standing up close enough to touch him, letting her eyes explore the newly revealed skin. She pulled his shirt over her head, ensuring that she pulled her breasts just a little, so that they'd bounce when she freed herself of the shirt. She tossed her shirt where Loke's was. She chuckled at the Lion's lustful looks. She perched herself back on the edge of the bed, waiting for him to continue.

'This woman might be the death of me. Does she not realize how sexy she is WITHOUT trying? It's like she's purposefully trying to give me a heart attack.' Loke let a low growl rumble through his chest. Lucy's face flushed, the smell of her arousal becoming stronger. He chuckled, knowing he'd found a turn on. He slid his hand underneath the band of his boxers. His soaked up the vision before him, Lucy's creamy white skin uninterrupted, her perfect hour glass shape, up to where his boxers still covered her, but still revealing her long, sexy legs. He licked his lips in anticipation, sliding his boxers of his hips, kicking them somewhere to the side. He stood there for a few moments, letting her take in what he had to offer. Her gaze slid over him, lingering on his fully erect member. Her gaze slowly ran back up his body, meeting his once more

He walked to his Lioness, reaching for her face as she stood to meet him. He slid the offending boxers off her waist. She kicked them in the general direction of where the rest of their clothes had been discarded. Loke made to move her to the bed, but before he was able to, she twisted them around, pushing him onto the bed. He raised an eye brow at her as she climbed over top of him, straddling him once again.

"I told you, there was something I wanted to try." A blush creeped back on her face, her nervousness returning.

Loke chuckled, leaning back onto the bed, holding himself up on his elbows. "Shyness doesn't suit you my Lioness." He reached out and touched her face, making her look at him. "What did you want to try?"

The celestial mage blushed a brilliant red, looking away before responding. "I wanted… I wanted to try… to… to ride you…" She barely managed to whisper the last three words.

Loke's hazel eyes darkened even more at her request. As a Lion, he dominated, he controlled. She was asking to take control. Had it been anyone else, he would have shown them their place, but this was his Lioness. He slid one hand up from her hip, grabbing one of her breasts. He squeezed lightly, watching her as her eyes closed. He rolled the tight pink bud between his fingers carefully, putting just enough pressure until he heard her let out the smallest moan. He drank in the scent of her arousal, trying very hard to not take control.

Lucy leaned forward over Loke, stealing heated kisses from his lips. One delicate hand slid down his chest, wrapping around his length. He twitched in her hand, making her smiled. She stroked him slowly at first, teasingly. Her hand moved up and down his entire length, making him twitch when she touched the tip. He closed his eyes, letting out a low moan.

Becoming more confident, she smiled, starting to stroke a little faster. She felt him continue to harden in her hand, drops of pearly liquid forming at the tip. His pants and moans sent heat pooling between her legs. She was half tempted to satiate the need, but she wasn't quite done with him yet. Gently, she moved to reposition herself a little lower, taking him into her mouth.

Loke's eyes flew open when she placed her mouth over him, her name tumbling out of his mouth. She experimented with depth, sucking just the tip, smirking as she felt his whole body quiver. She slowly took in more, remembering things she had read from Ezra's book collection to bypass her gag reflex. To her extreme enjoyment, they worked. She pulled back to the tip, letting her tongue swirl around it, eliciting moans from her Lion. She then slid her mouth back down the length of him, slowly, feeling him reach her throat.

It took everything he had to not lose it when her lips touched the base. His eyes rolled to the back of his head as she sucked. She tortured him even more when she took his sack in her hand. White was all he could see, he knew he was all but screaming her name but he couldn't really hear himself. He was trying to hold back, teetering between pleasure and pain. He knew he wasn't going to last long once he was inside her.

"Luuuuuucccyyyy pleaseeee" It was all he could ask.

Smiling triumphantly, she slid back up his body. He took in a shaky breath, still seeing spots in his vision. She straddled him, looking down at him. He could still feel himself throbbing from her mind-blowing blowjob. She leaned over to kiss him, letting him control the kiss. His hands making work on her breasts, eliciting small moans from her. Not satisfied, he slid a hand down her waist, rubbing light circles above her clit. Lucy nipped his lip, moaning his name. He could feel how slick she was getting.

Lucy removed his hand, and settled herself over him, slowly sinking onto him, inch by inch. Loke hissed at the agonizingly slow speed. He wasn't going to last long if she intended on teasing him. He snapped his hips up, filling her completely. He saw her smile. His hands stayed at her hips, guiding her movements. She slowly rotated her hips, closing her eyes. They slowly sped up their movements, switching between grinding on him and riding him.

Their heavy breathing and moans was all that could be heard besides the crackling fire behind them. Lucy felt her release coming, speeding up their pace. His bed began creaking underneath the force of their bodies slamming together. Growls continuously rumbled through his chest, each time she came down onto him threatened his own release. Each breath of hers came out in a moan. She threw her head back.

"Lokeee, I need it faster."

He fluidly rolled her to her back, thrusting into her faster. He grabbed her hair, pulling it gently. He could feel her starting to contract around him. He watched her face as she fell to pieces around him.

"Mavis, yes, yes, yes." She inhaled sharply, her eyes rolling to the back of her head. "Loooooooooooookkkkkeeeeee." Her whole body began to tingle, her core pulsating.

The sound of his name is what did him in. He felt her squeezing his length. He moaned as he released, once again white blinding him as he came. His whole body quivered. He rested on his elbows, trying to keep his weight off of her.

Lucy smiled lazily up at him, running his fingers through his hair. "I think… I think I could spend all day with you like this."

Loke smiled mischievously. "Actually, Lions can mate up to 50 times a day… "

Her eyes widened at his statement, earning a chuckle out of him.

"Was there anything else you wanted to try?" He asked flirtatiously, already beginning to stiffen.

She smiled back at him devilishly, "Actually there was


	8. The Fallout

Author's Note: I do not own Fairy Tail or any of the characters.

Gajeel and Laxus glanced at one another. They had heard the entire conversation between the three sitting in master's office.

'No wonder Natsu stormed through this morning. How inept can that flame head be to not realize what Loke and Lucy were? Her smell mingled with his long ago, today stronger than ever.' He grinned at the thought, making a mental note to congratulate the Lion Spirit. Laxus glanced at his own mate, who was happily humming behind the bar, drying glasses and putting them away. He felt the need to be near her, he wasn't sure how Natsu would be after this conversation. Not that he didn't think Mira could handle the fire breather, but he knew Mira had no idea what was coming, and his wrath might be stronger than most days. Laxus moved to the bar sitting in front of Mira, her eyes sparkling. She leaned against the bar on her elbow, her face directly in front of his.

"I see lightning dancing in your eyes Lax, what's wrong? Upset that Loke is going to beat you to the alter? We can still win you know." She winked at the dragon slayer, moving to continue her task.

He was glad that Lucy hadn't told everyone about what had happened, there was less of a chance of all hell breaking loose. She was smart to have flat out verbally rejected Natsu and accept Loke's claim. Getting out quickly was a good decision too, less likely Natsu would make a scene.

Levy picked up on Gajeel's unease. She wasn't positive about what caused it, though she had noticed Laxus had been acting strange as well. 'Natsu seemed angry this morning, they're probably just being defensive.' She scooched closer to the iron dragon slayer.

Gajeel looked at the bluenette. He was fuming at Natsu. 'A year. A whole year he's spent thinking Lucy was his mate. He never said anything to anyone. How could he not smell Loke on her? If she was his mate, how did he not become over possessive of her? His eyebrows furrowed in thought, putting his arm around Levy.

Lisanna sat at the bar with Mira and Laxus. She wasn't sure what to think. Lucy was so sure that she was Natsu's mate, but Natsu was adamant about Lucy. She had tried on many occasions to explain that Loke and Lucy were going to be "mated." That was the only way he understood what was going on, and that had been last night. He left her house angrily last night, leaving her in tears on her couch. She took another sip of her coffee. She hadn't told anyone, partially because she didn't want anyone to pity her, especially Lucy. Another part of her had hoped that Natsu would change his mind. Her mind wander to the night before.

She knew after Mira had told them all Loke's plan that she had to make him understand. She had asked him to come over for dinner. Afterwards, she had attempted once more to explain. He started to respond his normal response whenever she broached the subject.

"I'm not worried about cat-boy, Lucy's my mate."

Lisanna cut him off. "Natsu, you're not listening. You're not understanding what is actually going on. Lucy is going to marry Loke. He's claiming her as his own. I'm not sure that spirits have mates, but that is what this boils down to. He's claiming her as his, and she's going to accept it." She wasn't ready for his response.

Natsu froze at the last sentence, his fists in flames at her words. "She's accepting his claim?" His voice dropped, deepened in timber.

She nodded meekly. "She's in the spirit world with him now. Cana had mentioned earlier that maybe he was going to ask her. She didn't think he was going to, but she was hoping that he would. She wants this Natsu."

His body burst into flames, scales starting to appear across his arms and face.

"Natsu, you have to consider that maybe…" Natsu cut her off before she could finish.

His eyes snapped to hers "Lucy is my mate. It's Lucy. Not you, not anyone else." He stood from the couch and stalked to the door. "I'm going to talk to her." He ripped the door open, slamming it closed behind him.

Lisanna sank to the couch, tears escaping her eyes. "You're too late Natsu. You never claimed her, she never knew. Now it's too late." She knew he could still hear her.

Mira sat another cup of coffee in front of her sister. "Lisanna, are you okay?" She looked at her, her eyes full of concern. "Did you and Natsu fight? He seemed angry when he came in and didn't say anything to you…"

Lisanna shook her head. "Not so much of an argument."

Mira looked to Laxus. "Maybe you should talk to him, he knows Lisanna is his mate, maybe he needs a little push."

Laxus looked to Lisanna. "Yeah I'll talk to flame brain. I'm sure Gajeel wants too as well." He glanced again to the iron dragon slayer, who had shifted towards the solid script mage. The two made eye contact.

Gajeel nodded his head towards the door of the master's office. Laxus nodded, listening closely. They both moved in front of their mates, Laxus motioned for Lisanna to get behind him as well.

Natsu sat in silence in the office. He heard her cry. He stood to go to her, but Makrov motioned for him to sit back down.

"Natsu let her go. Her mate is with her."

He sat back down. He didn't understand his feelings. He listened to her voice. 'She didn't tell them anything that happened. She's not telling them the truth on why she's leaving.' He frowned, looking to the master. "Why didn't she tell them the real reason for leaving?"

Makrov sighed. "Natsu, no one but you realized she was your mate. Everyone has though it was Lisanna. You've never told anyone any different and you never claimed her. Lucy and Loke have been together for over a year now, no one would have known anything otherwise."

Natsu sat, his thoughts tumbling through his head. He started seething with anger. "She knew. She knew what was going on and she never explained it to me. She knew I didn't understand and she didn't try to make me understand, not until it was too late." He stood, walking to the office door, throwing it open, storming into the bar.

Gajeel looked to Levy. He heard Makrov's response to why Lucy didn't answer truthfully. "I need to talk to Natsu, I'll meet you in the library, okay?"

Levy looked at him, perplexed, but she nodded.

"I'll fill you in later shrimp, but right now, I need you to go. Now." He kissed her forehead briefly, pushing her towards the guild doors. He made his way to the bar, grabbing Elfman on the way, ignoring his protests of it being "not manly."

"Sorry Evergreen, I need him for a moment." He never looked at the fairy or the rest of the Thunder Legion. He could feel her glares she shot at him.

Elfman stumbled alone behind him. Both took a seat next to Laxus, in front of the girls. Mira looked at Laxus, then to the two newcomers, then back again. Before she had time to ask what was going on, the office door flew open.

Natsu came out, fire licking across his entire body. He paused, scanning the guild of shocked faces until his eyes found the ones he was looking for. Gajeel and Laxus stood from their stools, in front of the Strauss girls. Elfman was still unaware of his intentions.

"Natsu, leave, now. Do not make more of a scene than you have already." Laxus said it so low only the other two dragon slayers could hear.

"I do not CARE if I make a scene. She is the reason my MATE is now someone else's." He pointed a finger to Lisanna as he all but roared back at Laxus. Everyone's attention was on them, at the scene unfolding. Elfman stood with the dragon slayers, cutting off his view to Lisanna.

Lisanna was in tears and Mira stood in shock.

"Is he saying Lisanna isn't his mate?"

"Is Lisanna seeing someone else?"

"Who is he talking about?"

Whispers started around the guild, eyes still glues to the dragon slayers and the Strauss family. The Thunder Legion and Team Natsu, sat on edge, ready to jump in at a moment's notice of a fight.

"That's not true Natsu and you damn well know it. Leave. Gajeel and I will follow you out. You will not create more of a disturbance than you already have." Lightning danced over his body.

Natsu took a step closer, then quickly back. Mirajane stepped to Laxus' side, transformed into her demon soul. Elfman followed in his beast soul. "I suggest you listen to him." Her voice was threatening, a dark demeanor surrounding her.

He looked at each one standing in front of her, glaring through at Lisanna. "You're not my mate, you had no right keeping me from her." He spit out, his voice acidic.

Gajeel yanked him by his scarf, dragging him out the door. Laxus followed behind with the Thunder Legion trailing him. Gray looked to Ezra, following the group out the door. He easily picked up what was going on, silently cursing the salmon haired dragon slayer to every hell there was.

Mira, Elfman and Ezra stayed with Lisanna, who was silently crying at the bar. Mira hugged her little sister's shoulders. "Do you want to explain what is going on?"

"Yes, please explain. I'll punish Natsu for the way he spoke to you and making you cry." Ezra's voice was dark.

Lisanna looked around the guild, eyes still on her. She nodded, wiping the tears from her eyes. She cleared her throat.

"Well, as you heard, I'm not Natsu's mate. He never claimed me like everyone thought. I never corrected anyone because he thought Lucy was his mate, and partially because I had hoped that he would change his mind." She looked around, Cana, Mira and Ezra gasping. She smiled at them as she continued.

"The night that master met with the dragon slayers and their mates, Natsu had decided that Lucy was his intended mate. Dragon's don't have "predestined" mates, their bodies react to those around them, choosing the best match. I wasn't around during that time, Lucy was. He never told Lucy, never verbally claimed her. I was the only one he told after the meeting. She never knew until this morning, just before they came in. I've tried explaining to Natsu on many occasions about her and Loke, but he never listened to anything I said. So now he blames me for Lucy being with Loke now because he didn't understand before, and now she has rejected him."

She looked to her siblings, smiling in an apology. "I'm sorry I never told you, I had hoped he'd realize and he'd change his mind."

"So that's the real reason Lucy left? Will she come back?" Cana inquired. She frowned, hoping that the one girl who was like a sister to her wouldn't leave the guild forever because of the idiot fire eating dragon slayer. This sparked more whispers around the guild.

Makrov walked out of his office, looking down at the guild. "That's part of the reason she left. She rejected Natsu as a mate. In order for him to choose a new mate, Lucy needs to not be an option. He needs to accept it first, then he will be able to choose a new mate. Like Lisanna said, his body reacts to those who are around him. While he has no more of an option on when it comes to who he chooses, there are other choices. Lucy is Loke's "predestined" mate. She was meant for him. He will not have another. Do not think poorly of our celestial mage, this is a terrible predicament to be in, which is why she's chosen to stay away until he has chosen a new mate."

Lisanna sat at the bar, conflicted. Knowing Natsu would choose another mate gave her hope, but his words from earlier drifted through her thoughts, effectively decimating all hopes of being that new chosen mate.

Mira and Ezra looked to Lisanna. Mira placed a hand on her sister's shoulder. "We're going to go speak to Natsu, you go speak with Master."

Lisanna looked to Makrov, who beckoned her into his office. She looked back to her siblings and Ezra.

"Go talk to him, we'll take care of Natsu." Something about Ezra's toned made her want to hide.

She walked into the office, taking a seat across from his desk.

"I'd like to start off by saying I'm so sorry that you have to go through this, I don't like seeing my children hurting, and currently there are three. Secondly, don't worry about Natsu's outburst, that's just the rejection. Once he accepts it, he'll be back to normal."

Lisanna slowly shook her head. "I know it's not my fault that Lucy is with Loke. Like I said, I had tried to explain it on many occasions, but he never listened. Not to mention she's Loke's "predestined" mate. I just don't think that he'll change his mind. About me never being his mate. I don't think that he wants to accept the refusal." She looked to Makrov with fresh tears in her eyes.

Makrov had no answer for that. He could only hope that his friends and time could help him come to accept it.

"My child, I hope he does."


	9. Complications

Author's Note: I do not own Fairy Tail or any of the characters.

Natsu turned to face his followers, his hands still shaking.

"Lucy would have never been yours Natsu. She belongs with Loke, she was chosen for him." Laxus and the Thunder Legion surrounded him, Gajeel and Gray standing behind him.

"She didn't know she had a choice, she was forced into being his mate." He retorted

"No, fire eater, she told you if she knew she had a choice, knowing the options, she still would have chosen Loke. Not you." Gajeel said on edge, preparing for an attack that never came.

"Natsu, from an outsider's perspective that doesn't have all the detail of what is going on, this is all a shock. No one thought Lucy was your mate. Lucy and Loke have been together over a year, he gave her the Lion's Heart. You did nothing, you said nothing. You spend all of your time with Lisanna, you do everything together. We all assumed…" Freed was cut off.

"You all assumed WRONG. Lucy is my mate, Lisanna was deceiving and spiteful keeping me from her. She was supposed to be my friend, yet she never made me understand what was going on until it was too late."

Gray stepped forward, freezing Natsu into a block of ice. "That's not true and you damn well know it fire breath. Lisanna tried. You didn't listen. Lucy is not your mate. She never was. She never will be. Move on." He walked back towards the guild doors, turning to meet Natsu's fiery glare. "You'd best apologize to Lisanna, you'll have more than just me to answer too." He held the door open, allowing Mira, Elfman and Ezra to join. He shook his head once more at the dragon slayer once more before returning inside the guild.

They walked out of the guild, eyes fixed on Natsu.

"You'd better have a better reason than that for hurting my sister." Mira approached him in her demon take over soul.

"We understand you're upset, the rejection is making you act unlike yourself, but what you said, making a scene like you did, was uncalled for." Ezra stood directly in front of him.

"That was not manly!" Elfman roared.

"None of you understand, you haven't had a mate stolen from you, let alone a mate to begin with." He looked at the Strauss siblings and the Thunder Legion. Laxus had a half of a mind to shock him, Mira was his mate, but he had a point about Mira not actually having a mate. She wouldn't have to choose or live with a rejection of a mate.

Gajeel shot a glare at him. "Lucy was not yours. She was not stolen. The smell of Loke on her should have drove you crazy. You wouldn't have let any of the males in the guild near her, especially not us dragon slayers. You would have tried to mark her. You've done none of those things. You wanted her to be your mate, but she wasn't. She belongs to Loke. We all knew it. Lucy was never considered by any of us because she belonged to someone else. Your body has already chosen your true mate, you refuse to accept it because you wanted it to be Lucy. You already spend all of your time with her, you do everything with her. You let no one near her but her brother unless you're around. Your instincts did not choose Lucy, your conscious mind wanted her. This is in your control. Control it." The iron dragon slayer looked to Laxus, who nodded, keeping his eye on the ice encased Natsu.

Laxus looked briefly over to Mira and Ezra. Mira's eyes were full of anger. He nodded towards the guild doors, indicating to head back inside. Her eyes tightened. "Mira please, your sister probably needs you. Elfman, you too." His eyes went to his team. "I'll be fine, I want you inside with them incase flame eater here gets any ideas. Gajeel and I can handle this."

"He's my team mate, I'm staying here." Ezra's voice was full of authority, leaving no room for argument. Gajeel and Laxus just nodded.

The red haired mage looked at Natsu with a somber expression. "Natsu, do you understand what kind of position you've put Lucy in?" He refused to make eye contact with her.

"She didn't even consider me Ezra. Why? Aren't I good enough? I can protect her just as good, if not better than Loke." He looked to her, sadness filling his eyes.

"You're her nakama Natsu. You always will be, but she's not your mate. She belongs with Loke. That's why there was no consideration. You cannot win against her destiny. Even so, when this is what she chose, what she wanted, are you so selfish that you'd rather her be with you when Loke is the one that makes her happiest?" The reequip mage placed a hand on his head. "You need to choose your true mate, whether or not it's Lisanna, I do not know, but the fact remains that it is not Lucy." She looked to the dragon slayers behind her, nodding, before she headed back inside the guild, leaving the three dragon slayers alone.

Natsu stood, thinking about all that had been said to him. Regret washed through him, remembering Lisanna's tears. He wanted to hug her, to make them go away. He wanted Lucy to come home, he didn't like his team being split up. 'Funny, literally cooling down because I was frozen in a block of ice.'

"Ezra's right. You need to choose your true mate. This affects everyone as it stands right now. Lucy is unable to be at her home. It affects her, your team as a whole, her friends. Her nakama, us. All of us. You also need to apologize to Lisanna. You've both embarrassed and hurt her. She was trying to be a good friend, even when you were being pig headed, and not listening to anything she had to say. Laxus searched the fire dragon slayer for any signs of anger rising back up.

Natsu looked to the two in front of him. "I don't know how to choose a new mate." He slowly began to melt the ice that encased him.

"I might be able to help with that." A small voice spoke up.

Gajeel wheeled to face the new addition in the group. "Oi, shrimp, I thought I told you I'd meet you at the library." He growled to the bluenette standing in front of him.

Levy made a face at the dragon slayer. "I know and I was headed there when all of you came out behind me. I ducked to the other side of the guild to stay out of sight. I knew why you wanted me to leave, I realized you were trying to protect me from Natsu in case his anger got out of hand." She kissed his cheek lightly, bringing a subtle blush to his face. "Now that I better understand the situation, I might be able to help. Brains will work better than brawn in this fight." She raised her eyebrow to the three dragon slayers.

Laxus smirked at the solid script mage's attitude. She had become more confident and stubborn since mating with Gajeel.

Gajeel grumbled unintelligibly under his breath as she stepped closer to the trio. She looked at Natsu, who was finally free of the ice block that Gray had frozen him in. He sat on his knees, eyes staring out seemingly into nowhere.

"Natsu" she said softly, capturing the dragon slayers attention. "We can help, but you have to be willing and ready to move on."

"He doesn't have much of a choice. Lucy can't come back until he's chosen a new mate, and I won't have my nakama hide away because this fire eater won't move on when he has no chance." Laxus crossed his arms, wanting to get back to his own mate.

Natsu looked to the group standing before him. 'Move on? How do you move on from your mate? It's a forever kind of thing. Sure, maybe I hadn't verbally claimed her, and she rejected me, but none the less she's my mate… right? I just want her happy.'

"Thank you for wanting to help me." He smiled, standing up. "I'm not going to need it though."

"Natsu, you don't have to go through it alone, we're all here for you." Levy looked at him, full of concern.

Natsu shook his head. "I'm not choosing a mate. Lucy was supposed to be my mate. Now she's Loke's. I need to learn to be what she needs. As her mate, I should put her first, her happiness. She's happy with Loke, so I should support that. She's my partner and my best friend. I can continue that, continue to make her happy." He smiled to the shell shocked trio. "Look, I know she's Loke's mate. I know that it's not going to change. She's not going to change her mind. She will forever be Loke's." He started to walk into the guild.

Laxus grabbed his arm "Where do you think you're going?"

"Well, I was gonna go apologize to Lisanna like you said…" He scratched the back of his head.

"We'll go in first." Laxus let go of his arm, Gajeel and Levy walking in first, followed by the two dragon slayers.

Thunder Legion stood ready at the door. Lisanna sat at the bar with her siblings. Ezra was eating a piece of strawberry cake sitting next to her. Laxus motioned to his team to their table, glancing at his mate. Gajeel and Levy returned to Shadow Gear. The rest of the guild was busting with everyday activities. This morning events already forgotten.

Natsu made his way to the bar, nodding to Ezra as he approached. He sat on the other side of Lisanna. Mira, Elfman and Ezra moved further down the bar, giving them some privacy, dragging along the already-drunk-Cana. Lisanna sipped her coffee, not looking at the salmon haired mage. She shifted uncomfortably in her seat, unsure whether or not to leave.

Natsu cleared his throat, looking at the silver haired girl softly. "Lisanna, I need to apologize to you. What I said was unfair, childish and hurtful. I'm sorry I embarrassed you in front of the guild and I'm sorry that I blamed you when you were only being a good friend."

Lisanna hugged him, earning a chuckle out of Natsu. He squeezed her briefly, mussing her hair. "I want to be clear though. Lucy was my mate. I understand she is with Loke, that she is choosing Loke and that it isn't ever going to change. I won't be choosing another mate. I will be whatever she needs me to be. She needs me as a partner, her nakama and her best friend, so that's what I will be."

Lisanna smiled and nodded. "Lucy will be glad to hear that." As Natsu hugged her once more, she closed her eyes. He ran off, challenging Gray to another fight. Lisanna put her head on the bar, covering her face with her elbows. Her siblings and Ezra returned, concern coloring their faces.

"What's wrong Lis?" Mira took the seat vacated by Natsu.

"It looked like it went well, what happened?" Ezra looked to where the dragon slayer and ice mage stood, tossing insults back and forth at each other.

Lisanna wiped the tears threatening her eyes away, giving them a weak smile. "It went fine. He apologized and we've made up and all is well between us. It's just…" her smile faltered, tears swimming in her lavender eyes. "He said he's not choosing a new mate. That he understands Lucy and Loke were meant to be together and nothing will change that, but Lucy was his mate, so he's going to be whatever she needs him to be. So he's settling to be her partner, nakama and best friend." Tears slipped down her cheeks. "I told him Lucy would be glad to hear that."

Mira hugged her sister, silently cursing the idiot fire eating dragon slayer. Ezra groaned, glaring at the dragon slayer. At least he wouldn't make it hard on Lucy and Loke.

Laxus shook his head. 'He'll figure it out eventually. If Lucy was really his mate, accepting that she was claimed by someone else wouldn't be possible. Hopefully Lisanna doesn't give up on him.'

Levy and Cana quietly cheered. Lucy could come home sooner than expected. Of course, they felt bad for Lisanna, so they tried not to make their joy too obvious.

Cana held the card to call Lucy. "So, who wants to tell her she can come home?"


	10. What the Future Holds

Author's Note: I do not own Fairy Tail or any of the characters.

Lucy felt Loke's hand rubbing her back. She kept her eyes close, reveling in the warmth of his body. She nuzzled her face into this shoulder, tightening her arms around his waist, intertwining her legs with his. She sighed with contentment.

"I can get use to waking up like this." Her voice still laced with sleep.

Loke smiled, kissing the top of her head. "You have eternity for it you know." His fingers traced lightly down her bared back.

They laid in comfortable silence for a few moments, enjoying the presence of one another. Lucy propped herself on her elbow, her eyes roaming the messy haired ginger spirit. The covers slipped down her side, exposing her heavy chest.

"What's on the agenda for today?" she asked as she admired his bared, muscular chest.

Loke smirked, sliding his hand up her side, cupping her gently. "What should we be doing or what do I want to do?" He leaned in to kiss her, pressing her back into the soft mattress, hovering over her. "Because those are two very, very different things." He nipped her bottom lip.

Lucy let out a small giggle. "I'm pretty certain I know what you want to do, I was asking what we should be doing."

"Are you sure? I could just show you what I want to do, just to be positive that you know. I want you making informed decisions." He kissed her again, softly bringing his hand to her face.

Lucy sighed out of contentment again, allowing him access, their tongues mingling and dancing once again. He felt her resistance melt away, his hands sliding along her naked body, wrapping her leg around his waist. She could feel him react against her thigh. She wrapped her small hand around him, gently stroking. He smiled down at the celestial mage, who rolled her eyes at him.

"Don't think you'll always get your way."

Before their morning escapade could continue any further, the house shook and a booming voice sounded from outside his window.

"Lucy, are you avoiding seeing me, my old friend?"

"Impeccable timing." Loke muttered under his breath. He rolled his eyes at Lucy, knowing there was no sending the Spirit King away.

"I wasn't avoiding you, I wasn't sure when I was supposed to come and see you." She snatched Loke's shirt off the floor, sliding it over her head as she got out of bed. "Can I get ready first?" She asked without waiting for a response, headed towards the bathroom.

Loke fell back onto the bed after sliding his boxers on. He was tempted to join Lucy in the shower, but since the Spirit King already interrupted once, he wasn't trying for a second time.

Lucy hurried through her normal morning routine, excited to learn more about what her future would hold. She had received a message from Levy while she was sleeping. She was excited to tell her best friend about everything that was going on. She thought briefly about Natsu, hoping that her rejection had helped him. She really thought Lisanna was his mate, and she couldn't think of anyone she'd rather her best friend be with. She hoped for the silver haired take over mage's sake at least, that Natsu had come to his senses. She finished brushing through her hair, taking on last look in the mirror, admiring the baby blue sundress that Virgo had brought by at some point while she was asleep. She was still amazed on how little the Spirit World affected her.

She walked out of the bathroom and back into the bedroom, briefly teasing Loke, and out onto the balcony connected to the master bedroom. She came face to face with the Spirit King, which startled her from being so close to him the moment she walked out.

Loke popped his head outside of the door. "I'll join you in a few minutes." Winking at Lucy before he disappeared back into the house.

Lucy looked to the Spirit King, giving him her most Lucy like smile. "Good morning, it's good to see you again."

"It's good to see you again too, old friend. Especially on such good news. Let me see the rings."

She held her hand out, proudly displaying her rings on her left ring finger. The Spirit King smiled, recognizing the rings. "The first ring he gave you, do you know what that is?" he asked her

She hesitantly shook her head. "Only thing I know about it is that is what each Lion gives his… mate. To show that she belongs to him."

The Spirit King nodded. "It's called The Lion's Heart. Given to the Lion's partner as a bond. The other ring that he gave you, is The Lion's Promise. It represents the Lion's loyalty, protection and power. You will be able to access his powers without needing to don the Leo Stardress, but it will enhance its powers when worn with it. "

Lucy stared at the rings on her left hand in admiration, completely awestruck with the information. She looked back to the Spirit King. "He never told me any of that. Not that I'm surprised by any of this information though. He's incredibly loving, loyal, protective and stronger that I ever imagined, especially since he gave me the Lion's Heart a year ago. As Leader of the Zodiac's, I expected nothing less. It's still hard for me to believe that I was lucky enough to be made for someone like him." She hugged herself, her emotions overwhelming her.

The Spirit King chuckled at his blonde friend. "Do you accept the responsibilities that come with being not only a spirits bonded partner, but as a bonded partner of the leader of the zodiacs as well as next in line as the Spirit Queen?"

Lucy smiled nodding her head. "Absolutely. There's not a doubt in my mind that Loke and I are a perfect team."

He smiled hugely. "That relieves me to hear that. I'm so very glad Loke has finally found his partner. Maybe you can keep him in line and prepare him to become a real King." He looked to his small friend, who currently looked like she was pondering another question. "Did you have other questions Lucy?"

She nodded her head. "Loke mentioned something about me joining him, here in the spirit world. He said I could come whenever I was ready. I think I'd like to wait a little while longer before joining, I feel like I have many more adventures to go on before my time, but I was wondering how it all worked. Would I be able to visit Fairy Tail and my friends if I decided to come now? Would I need my own key? If I did, do I get to decide who holds my key?"

"When you decide to join us, you can choose your spirit form. With council, you choose what kind of spirit you become as well as your constellation. Unless you're joining under house Leo. If you join under the Leo household, you will not have a need for your own key, but you would not be able to return to Earthland. If you decide to join now, and not under the Leo household, you'd receive your own key, and you'd be able to give your keys you currently own as well as your own to whom you choose. If you decide to wait until your time on Earthland comes to a close, you will not choose who your keys or your own key will go to. You will not have living family to pass them on to. The keys will be spread across the world to be found again. As a result, you need not to worry about them going to bad owners. When your key is discovered, you will be able to "feel" what kind of person they are, and can decide whether or not to allow them to pick up your key. Same with the other spirits." He watched her mull over this information.

She felt arms wrap around her waist, his lips at her ear. "There's no need for you to join now. Natsu will be fine, this will blow over, just give it a little time."

The Spirit King nodded. "If you choose to join now, there's no chance to return, but your keys and your own would pass to Yukino if that's what you so choose… Though it makes me wonder why you'd want to leave Fairy Tail."

Lucy smiled sadly. "I don't want to leave my family, but things are complicated and we aren't sure if or when they will be uncomplicated."

"You are always welcome here my old friend, just keep in mind, once you're here, you're here for eternity, there is no returning." He looked to Loke, grinning widely. "I apologize for interrupting this morning. Come to me when she is ready to join us."

With a bright light, he disappeared, his chuckles still echoing.

Loke grumbled half-heartedly, hugging Lucy a little tighter. She kissed just under his jaw, her eyes sparkling. "Want to call Levy with me?" She was excited to talk to the solid script mage.

Loke smiled, giving her the card. "I'll let you talk with her, I have a few things that I need to do while I'm here anyway, come find me in the study when you're done." He kissed her lightly before heading back inside.

Lucy smiled, she took a seat on one of the chairs, holding the card in her hands. She closed her eyes, thinking of the guild and her small bluenette friend, calling out to them. She smiled brightly as her friends face appeared on the card.

"Lucyyyyyyyy" She squealed in excitement.

"Levy! How's everything? I know it's only been a day and a half since I left, but I feel like it's been forever."

"I miss you anyway! It seems like forever here too, it's been whiplash with everything that's happened."

"I'll be home in a few days to get a job. I know Loke was just going to grab a job but I'll miss everyone too much so I just want to stop in and say hi."

"Actually… I have good news. You can come home sooner than expected. Like, whenever you're done in the Spirit World."

Lucy looked at her friend in surprise. "What do you mean? What's happened with Natsu that I can come home already? I mean, don't get me wrong, I'd love nothing more, but I want to make sure that it's not going to mess anything up."

Levy's smile faltered. "I'll let Natsu talk you, but he's not here right now, tell me everything that you've been doing!"

"Well, the whiplash isn't over for me yet. Not only did I find out that Natsu thought that I was his mate and get engaged to one of my spirits, who is leader of the zodiacs, I also found out that he is next in line to be Spirit King. As if that wasn't enough, I've found out that there are a whole lot of new things that are happening because I've bonded with Loke. Being in the spirit world doesn't hardly affect me, we can speak in each-others minds, I'm apparently able to use his powers without using a Stardress, and we'll be able to find each other easily if we are separated. To top it all off, he's asked me to join him in the Spirit World when I'm ready." She spoke a mile a minute, pausing to catch her breath.

Levy went through different reactions to what she was told. She decided to start with the first bit of information given to her. "Spirit King? So you'll be Queen? What happens to the Spirit King now?"

"Yeah, yeah I guess that would make me queen. It won't be in any of our lifetimes that this changes. Because they are all immortal, no one stays on the throne forever. Same with the keys, no one celestial spirit always has their keys. They have "families" that it gets passed around."

"That's so cool "Your Highness"." Levy giggled. "The rest about the bonding part is really cool, it's similar to being a mate of a dragon slayer. Granted, we can't speak to one another per se, but we can hold a silent conversation without a word being spoke. Finding one another is easy, and we can tell how they are feeling." Levy paused, not knowing how to ask her next question.

Lucy sighed. "I'm not sure when I'll join him. I was thinking when my time comes, but with this thing with Natsu, if it doesn't get better, I might join him. It'd be easier on everyone. Plus, Yukino could have not only my keys that I hold, but my own key, if I choose not to join under his house. Then they could be passed down through her family, since I won't have one of my own pass down too."

Levy snapped at the blonde "It would NOT be easier on anyone, except maybe Natsu. Even then, he'd still miss you Lucy. We all would. You're the light of this guild, losing you would affect everyone. Natsu will be okay." She stopped before addressing the last statement, studying the celestial mage through their connection. "Does this mean you and Loke won't have a family?" she asked quietly.

Lucy looked away, shrugging. "I'm not sure what it means. If that is the case, then it's okay. I never really saw myself as a mom type. I've been far too focused on becoming a writer and a stronger mage." She hoped that her bluenette wouldn't detect her half-truth. She had been far too focused on becoming a writer and a stronger mage, but children was something that she always thought would come eventually when she found the one. Now that she had, not being able to be a mom was something that she wasn't quite sure how to process yet.

Levy nodded solemnly. She knew that this bothered her friend, but figured she would talk when she was ready too. "Well come home soon, we all can't wait to see you and I'm sure everyone is dying to hear about the celestial world and to get a better look at that ring." She looked to her side, a small blush creeping on her face. "And Gajeel says hello too, talk you later!"

"Ciao Levy" She smiled. She sat for a few minutes, taking in her surroundings for the first time. She could see the path they had strolled the night he had asked her to marry her off to her left. Directly below her was the massive pool, which thankfully, was large enough to do laps in. The shallow end had seating in the water for the bar and outside kitchen that was connected to it. A large, Jacuzzi hot tub connected on the other side. To her right, she could see a small area that was used for fires, along with patio furniture and a hammock that sway in the twilight breeze underneath the cherry blossomed trees. She looked to the starry sky that was familiar, considering her options. Levy and Loke were right, she shouldn't leave Fairy Tail early because of Natsu. It was an easy decision. Whether or not she wanted to join under the Leo household was another story. She wanted her chance to help Earthland long after her time there had passed. Having her own key meant that she could do that. She also wasn't sure she wanted to be a fighting type spirit, like the Leo's. It also meant that she would be the only one to hold her key. She wouldn't have a family to pass it along too. Eternity with her own house.

The celestial mage pushed those thoughts from her mind. She had a lot of time before she needed to make those decisions, and Loke would help her every step of the way. She thought again how lucky she was to have him in her life. She grinned devilishly as a thought crossed her mind. 'We did get interrupted this morning, I'm sure he wouldn't mind a little distraction.'

The blonde called out Virgo, who appeared quickly. "You called Princess?"

"I need something to wear for Loke…"

The pinkettee nodded, disappearing briefly before reappearing with scraps of material. Virgo changed her in her whip like fashion, stepping back for Lucy to admire. She thanked the spirit who bowed slightly before her departure.

With one last look in the mirror at her reflection of the lingerie that Virgo had brought her, she strutted out of the bedroom towards the study.


	11. Fantasy

Author's Note: I do not own Fairy Tail or any of the characters. Some of the plots are from the anime and are not my original creation.

If you're not interested in reading lemons (or if you're under the age of 18) please skip to the next chapter, there won't be anything important to the plot here!

********LEMONS LEMONS LEMONS LEMONS LEMONS LEMONS LEMONS LEMONS********

Loke was not prepared for what had just walked through the study door. He had been attending to his responsibilities that he had ignored far longer than normal, when he had heard a light knocking on the door, followed by his Fiancée's happy humming.

'I figured that you'd talked longer with Levy my love. You can come in' he thought to his Lioness.

Any coherent thought before the door opened had left his mind when Lucy stepped through the door. He had always had fantasies about his Lioness paying him a visit in the office, but this was much better than he had ever dreamed.

Lucy walked further into the room, closing the door behind her. She gave the most seducing smile she had, walking slowly towards the desk.

"We were interrupted this morning, I planned on finishing it." She said innocently, though her looks contradicted her voice.

Loke growled softly under his breath. She was sexy enough on her own, but the scraps of red and golden lace that left nothing to the imagination was driving him insane, not to mention the golden stilettos that made her legs and her already voluptuous bottom look more enticing than normal.

"Not that I object to office visits, but looking like that while on office visits makes it very hard to concentrate." His voice was thick with lust, some part of his brain was still trying to be responsible, but it was losing ground quickly with every step closer she came.

She smiled again innocently with fire dancing in her eyes. She leaned over his desk, giving him a good view of what was not-so-hidden beneath her lingerie. His eyes locked on her cleavage, his pants had grown unbearably tight. She lifted his chin with one finger, claiming his lips. Any resistance he had was long gone. She climbed on top of his desk, pushing him back into his chair. The fight for dominance he knew was a lost cause, that his Lioness was in control and he was happy to oblige. She crawled off his desk and straddled him in his chair.

'I wasn't trying to break your concentration, just direct it… elsewhere.' She thought to him as she started to grind herself on the growing bulge in his pants.

One hand slid into her hair while the other traveled down her back, trying very hard not to rip the delicate material off her. 'I'm starting to think that this is a very good dream.' He was amazed at how close he was to release already.

Lucy smiled devilishly as he leaned his head back. She kissed down his neck, nibbling gently at his shoulder. She could hear him panting quietly, trying to keep from falling over the edge. She grinded her hips just a little faster, moaning ever so slightly in his ear as she hit the right places on herself. 'I'm curious, I wanted to see if it was true what they said about Lion's'

He couldn't move to look at her face, his eyes nearly rolling back, let alone make too long of a cohesive thought. 'What?' was all he could muster to think towards her.

She nipped lightly at his shoulder again. 'That they can mate up to 50 times a day.' She quickly reclaimed his lips as his mind stopped thinking, rougher than before, her hips grinding against him faster. She pushed her breasts up to his face, rubbing his face between them. The friction of his pants against the lace on her thong was bringing her close, but she was determined to make him finish first, this was only the first of many times she intended on getting him off. She let his name escape her lips in a breathy moan, and his eyes flew open as he came.

His deep groan as his member pulsed drove her crazy. She climbed off him, unbuttoning his pants, pulling him out. She kneeled between her Lions knees, gently licking him clean. He rubbed her hair, his breathing slowing down. She looked directly at him as she took his length in her mouth. He moaned again, his eyes snapping shut as she bobbed slowly up and down. He wasn't sure how he was rock hard again, but he knew this wasn't going to last long. She licked base to tip, her tongue swirling around the tip. Her mouth covered it again and she slowly slid his length fully, cupping him gently. She could taste the pre cum. Smiling to herself, she sucked a little harder. His thighs twitched around her head, his hand pulling tighter in her hair.

'Luuuuucccceeeeee…' She was driving him insane with pleasure, almost to the point of pain, though he was starting to think it made it feel that much better. Stars exploded behind his eyelids as he came again, and the feeling of her swallowing what he gave her nearly sent him right back over.

Lucy smiled at her achievement. She had been interested to see the untamed side of Loke and she was not going to stop until she did.

Loke opened his eyes, looking down on his Lioness, who was still seated between his legs. She had awoken the Lion inside of him, and she was not going to get out of his clutches unscathed. 'You have no idea what you have gotten yourself into.' He growled to her, his eyes more cat like, locked onto her as if she was his prey. He pulled her up off her knees, and ripped the dainty lace off her body. 'Pretty, but very much in my way.'

Lucy was all but purring with excitement. He pulled her back down onto him, straddling him as she had been earlier. He thrust himself inside her, giving her little time to adjust to his size. 'I hope you learned to ride Princess.' He thought with a grin, closing his lips around her nipple.

She closed her eyes, focusing on clenching herself around him as she slid herself on his member. It didn't take long before he had come again, only now he was keeping her on the edge, not allowing her to finish. He stood up, lifting her off him easily, and turned her around against his desk. He bent her over his desk, her naked breasts pressed up against the cool surface of the mahogany desk. He slid back into her, thrusting at a quicker tempo than before. He wove his fingers into her hair, pulling just enough until he heard her gasp, which was quickly followed by moans. He grabbed onto her hip with his free hand.

'Oh Mavis… Loke… please… yes… faster…Faster…FASTER…' she could feel herself coming close as he continued to thrust deeper and harder.

Loke bit her shoulder as he came for the third time to the sound of her pleads. He pulled her off the desk, still not allowing her to finish. He cleared his desk dramatically with a sweep of his arm. 'Always wanted to do that' he thought with a smile. He spun her to face him, backing her back up onto the desk, pushing her back on it. He climbed on top of her, nipping her bottom lip before consuming her mouth with his, their tongues mingling together. One hand still in her hair, the other supported his weight.

She intertwined his legs with hers, one hand running across his back, tangling into his hair and the other on his waist, trying to pull him as close and deep as possible. It only took a few thrust to send both of them tumbling over their edge, screaming each other's name.

They stayed there for a few minutes, trying to catch their breath. He picked her up, and started to carry her bridal style back towards the bedroom.

'We could just lay by the fire in here.' She thought tiredly to him, earning a devious laugh from him.

'Oh my sexy little Lioness, I've just gotten started.' He thought back at her as he closed the door behind him.


	12. Welcome Home

Author's Note: I do not own Fairy Tail or any of the characters.

Lucy stood nervously outside the guild doors. No one had exactly clarified what had happened on why she could come back so soon. Loke squeezed her had reassuringly as he listened to her thoughts swirling around in her head.

'Darling, you'll never find anything out by just standing in front of the door.'

Lucy took a deep breath, flashing her most Lucy-like smile and tentatively opened the guild doors. They stood for a moment, observing the everyday hustle and bustle of Fairy Tail. A smile lit up her face. This was her family. This was her home. She knew that Loke and Levy were right, that this is where she belonged right now, the Spirit World would be there when she was ready.

Team Shadow Gear at their normal table with Droy and Jet glowering over the addition of the ever-present Gajeel, who was currently sitting quietly listening intently to whatever Levy was going on about. Naab still stood at the job board, Thunder Legion sat quietly in their corner. Freed was reading, Bixlow and his babies were berating Elfman and Evergreen while Laxus had his sound pods on, seemingly ignoring everything going on around him. Mira was behind the bar, drying glasses and Kiana was taking Ezra's order, to which Lucy had no doubts was for a strawberry cake, and Cana sat just down the bar with her normal barrel of booze. Across the room the rest of her team sat at their normal table, Gray sat with his arm around Juvia, who was barely keeping herself in solid form from the gesture, and Natsu sat across from them, stuffing as much food into his mouth as possible. Happy circling above them, complaining about how Charla was on a mission with Wendy and Romeo. Lucy frowned slightly, noticing Lisanna was missing.

Loke smiled, looking over her shoulder. 'Incoming in 3…2…1…'

"LUUUCCYYYYYY!" a small body slammed into her from behind. Lucy knew who it was immediately from her voice, if not for the "Gi hi hi" laughter following her from Gajeel.

"Welcome back Bunny- girl" Gajeel tousled her hair.

The commotion attracted the attention of the guild who chimed in with choruses of 'Welcome Backs' and 'We missed you.' Lucy smiled warmly to everyone, squeezing Loke's hand once more before being swept to the bar.

Levy chatted about the newest book that she had started reading. Gajeel had stayed behind wit Loke, mumbling something about already hearing about the book and needing a good fight, but the slight blush on his face made Lucy think that he had other motives.

Mira sat a smoothie in front of her as she sat down. She sat next to Cana, and Levy sat between Lucy and Ezra. Juvia left the table with Gray to squeeze beside Cana and Kiana and came and leaned on the bar next to Mira.

Lucy looked at each of the girls with a straight face, hiding her left hand. She cracked a smile and placed it on the bar, giggling at the ensuing squeals of excitement.

"Lu-Chan it's gorgeous"

"It is most exquisite Lucy"

"LOOK AT THE SIZE OF THAT ROCK."

"It compliments the other so nicely."

"Love Rival is very Loke-san has such good tastes"

"Juvia, please just call me Lucy. I've never been a rival, but I definitely am not now." She said exasperatedly.

"So tell us all about the Spirit World, what did you have to do that you needed to leave so soon." Mira asked her

Lucy looked around again fo her short silver haired sister. "Where is Lisanna? I wanted to tell you all together about everything." Lucy asked curiously

Kiana was the one to answer her question. "She's watching Asuska for Alec and Bisca whil they are out on a job."

"I'm sure you both have a lot to catch up on. I"ll let her know that you're home." Mira said sweetly.

"Well, the Spirit World is as gorgeous as ever. An everlasting twilight sky and so many stars that seem so close you can touch them. Everything seems like it's shimmering with a lining of silver and gold."

"Where did he take you? "

"How were you not missing for 3 months?"

"Did you see the Spirit King?"

"Did you visit with all of your spirits?"

"What do they all think of your and Loke's relationship?"

Lucy answered the questions one at a time, almost as if it was a game show.

"How did he do it?"

"I bet it was a grandiose gesture like he always does."

Lucy paused, smiling remembering his proposal. "Actually, it was very sweet. When we arrived, he gave me a tour of his home. He had prepared dinner for us, which was delicious as always, then we walked through his gardens, and he showed me a part of his garden that is "hidden." I was gushing about how gorgeous and perfect his home was, literally straight out of my dreams. He told me that he had designed it with me in mind and asked if I'd join him. Then he got down on one knee and asked me to be his wife. I'm still not sure if any of it is real."

As the girls gushed over their "Fairy Tail" love, she looked over to her Lion who was quietly talking with Gajeel still.

Feeling his Lioness' gaze, he looked up and shot her a quick wink. He knew Lucy suspected what they were talking about, not that she was wrong, but he hoped she could keep her excitement to herself.

'Princess, do you think that you'd be able to sneak away for a few moments?'

Lucy looked to her mate quizzically, nodding subtly. "Mira, can I get a coffee? I rushed Loke out of the door this morning; I think he could use a pick-me-up before a brawl breaks out." She looked pointedly to her teams table, where Gray was antagonizing Natsu.

Mira nodded, brewing a cup of coffee quicker than she imagined she would. She left a few jewel on the counter for her smoothie and the coffee. She walked to her stellar spirit and the iron dragon slayer.

"Subtle, I'm impressed. Anyway, I have no issue with this, but it's really your day so I told Gajeel to ask you."

Gajeel blushed ever so slightly. "I was … uh… thinking of purposing to Shrimp… I was wondering if I could at your reception." He paused a moment, uncharacteristically nervous. "It's okay if not, it's your day, didn't want to steal your thunder… I…"

Lucy interrupted him, her excitement barely contained. "Absolutely! What did you have in mind?"

"Well Bunny, I would have just explained it if you hadn't interrupted." He took another breath, glancing around, his voice dropping. "I was thinking your bouquet toss. You'd act like you're going to throw it, but then turn and hand it to Shrimp. Then I'd be behind her on one knee with the ring."

A bright smile took over her face. "Absolutely, I love it!"

Levy snuck up behind Gajeel, wriggling her way under his arm. "Love what Lu-chan?"

"Gajeel's offering to sing at our wedding. I was thinking maybe a duet." She nudged Levy's arm, smiling at Gajeel's shocked face.

Levy grimaced. "You really want him to sing at your wedding?" She smiled up to her mate apologetically, and then glared at Lucy. "There is no way I am singing at your wedding."

Lucy held up her hands in mock defeat. "Fine fine, no duet. Gajeel, let me know when you're done writing what you're going to sing, I'd love to hear it."

Gajeel mumbled gruffly "It's going to be a surprise."

Loke laughed at the still shocked dragon slayer. He pulled Lucy into his chest, kissing the top of her head. 'Smooth. I'm very impressed on the improve, though are you sure you really want Gajeel to sing at our wedding.' Lucy laughed at his grimace.

'No, but I figured once we get underway of planning the wedding it'd be forgotten, that or I'm sure he would have done so anyway. Gajeel is always looking for a chance to sing.'

Lucy looked back to her teams table, where insults were being tossed back and forth like the punches soon would be. "I was going to go visit Lisanna. You don't have to come if you don't want too. I know you haven't seen Gray in a while."

Loke kissed her hand "I'll swing by over there when you girls are done chatting. I haven't had a good guild fight in a long time." He flashed her a smile "Just call for me when you're done"

With that, she watched her Lion initiate the brawl, blasting lights of Regulus towards Gray, who mistook it coming from Natsu. Lucy giggled shaking her head walking back towards the bar.

"Is Lisanna at your home?" she asked the demon soul take over mage.

Mira nodded. "I already let her know you were going to swing by."

Lucy smiled, thanking the bar maid as she walked out the door.


	13. Flower Girl

Author's Note: I do not own Fairy Tail or any of the characters. Some of the plot is from the anime and not completely my original creation.

The walk to the Strauss household wasn't long and Lucy was pleased to find out that her "connection" to Loke was able to last without being near him. Much to her amusement, it was easy to fluster Loke, imagining their morning together in the office, making him flush. She laughed as she listened to him scramble around for explanations of his sudden color, and him cursing her, threatening what he'd do to her later.

The celestial mage rapped lightly on the large wooden doors of the Strauss home. She could hear Asuska running through the house yelling, "I'll get it."

The young sharp shooter opened the door, squealing in delight at the sight of the blonde standing in the doorway. "LUUUCCCYYYY! LISANNA, LUCY IS HERE!"

Lisanna's laughter echoed through the hallway. "So I heard." She opened the door further to let Lucy in, motioning towards the kitchen. "Asuska and I were about to have some tea, would you like some?"

Lucy nodded happily, taking a seat at the oak table. Asuska scurrying up into her lap. "Where's Loke? Why didn't he come with you?" she asked.

"He's still at the guild; he'll be by a bit later to see you."

Her response made the little girl giggle, jumping down in excitement. "Good I can't wait to show him my new targets that mommy and daddy got me." She ran into the other room, forgetting all about the tea.

Lisanna sat the tea down, taking a seat across from Lucy. "What brings you by this morning? I figured you'd still be in the Spirit World."

"We actually came back this morning and swung by the guild. You weren't there; Mira had mentioned that you were watching Asuska. I wanted to come by and see how you were doing."

Lisanna smiled brightly. "I'm actually doing fine. After you left, it was a little rough for a while, but your team and the other dragon slayers talked Natsu down." The takeover mage paused, looking down into her teacup. "What have they told you about what happened?"

Lucy shook her head. "Nothing. I asked Levy, but she told me I could come home and that everything was okay."

Lisanna took a deep breath. "Essentially, he blamed me. For not telling him about what was happening. He was furious. He said that I'd never be his mate, and that I was the reason for his mate not choosing him. That I had done it all on purpose. I know it's not true, but he blew up in front of the entire guild. It was embarrassing. Laxus and Gajeel made him go outside. Then Ezra, Gray and the Thunder Legion went out as well. My siblings followed, after making sure that I was okay. I'm not sure what anyone said to him while they were out there. Master then explained what was going on to the rest of the guild, after they all had went outside after Natsu. I saw Levy walk out when my siblings and your team came back in. I get a lot of pity looks whenever I'm there, so I've been avoiding going to the guild." She looked at Lucy, whose eyes were shocked and swimming tears.

"I'm so sorry; I can't believe he did that. Please don't avoid the guild, we're your family."

Lisanna cut her off." I know you're my family. I figured I'd let this all blow over, maybe people would forget about it after a while. I just hate the pity looks that I get. That's why I never said anything about not being his mate to begin with. "

Lucy nodded understandingly, wiping her tears. "It's all so unfair and the only person really getting the short end of the stick is you." She sighed uncontentedly. "How has he been since? Did he even apologize? If he didn't, he'd best run when he sees me. I'll Lucy-Kick him into next week." The celestial mage huffed, earning a slight giggle from the silver haired girl.

"He did apologize for what he said to me, as well as embarrassing me in front of the guild." Lisanna hesitated, looking down into her teacup again. "You're probably not going to like what he said after though." She looked up briefly to the blonde seated across from her.

Lucy sat patiently for the takeover mage to find her words.

"He said that… well… that he still thought that you were his mate, that he'd do anything and be anything for you. He understands that you belong to Loke and nothing was going to change that. He knows that you don't want or need him as a mate, so he was happy to just be your best friend, like you need him to be." Lisanna wiped a few stray tears away. It still hurt knowing that even though his choice "mate" wasn't ever going to be, she still wasn't an option. That he'd rather be alone than choose her. She didn't blame Lucy; she saw the pain this plainly caused her to be in this position.

Lucy sat, staring blankly at the other girl. "He's choosing… to be alone… rather than choosing a new mate…" She winced briefly at Loke's reaction, mentally cursing herself for leaving her thoughts open.

'Don't you dare approach Natsu. There is more we need to find out. Don't make a scene, we just got back and it could make this all worse for Lisanna.' She thought to her Lion.

Lisanna was looking concernedly at the girl seated across from her. When she winced, she started to worry. "Luce, you okay? You haven't said anything, and I'm starting to think you're hearing voices."

Lucy shook her head, smiling a bit.

"I kind of am, Since Loke and I are mates; we can hear each other's thoughts. Not always. It's as if I can feel his "presence" there, but I have to reach out to it for him to hear me. He's able to "feel" my state of mind though. If I start to panic, worry, get scared or whatever, he's able to reach out to me. As long as my thoughts are open, like I'm "reaching" out to him, he can hear them. Sometimes I do it without much thought behind it. Which is what just happened. So he heard that statement, and he's not very happy, and on his way over."

The celestial mage looked to Lisanna, who was sitting in awe. "Natsu is quite possibly the biggest idiot I've ever met, Loke too. And that's saying a lot since Loke has been around for a while."

There was a knock at the door. "It's Loke Asuska; can you grab the door for him?" Lisanna called.

"LOKE IS HERE?! I'M SO EXCITED, I'm COMINGGGGGGG" the little sharp shooter squealed in excitement, running towards the door.

The two mages followed behind her to the door, where Loke was swinging the little girl around in a hug.

"Hello my beautiful little lady, how are you today?" the lion spirit asked her.

Asuska giggled, blushing furiously, tried to hide her face. "I'm really happy. Mommy and Daddy got me new targets and I really wanted to show you."

Loke opened his arm in gesture to let her lead the way, winking at the two older mages before following the excited sharpshooter to her new targets.

Lisanna smiled after the two, feeling a slight pang as she saw the affection in just a look between Loke and Lucy. "You and Loke are such a perfect match, it's almost kind of disgusting how much you two are still in love with each other, almost 2 years later."

Lucy blushed slightly. "I think the worst is Laxus and your sister. Seriously, I never see that man smile unless it's at Mira."

Lisanna laughed, nodding in agreement. "So now you've been caught up on the drama, tell me all about the spirit world"

Lucy gushed about the spirit world and all its beauty, how Loke's home was straight out of a dream. She shyly showed off the second ring that sat on her left hand. She did not want to come off as if she was rubbing her fairy tail relationship in her face, but Lisanna seemed genuinely happy and excited for her.

"Did you get to see any of your other spirits? Or the Spirit King?" the silver haired mage asked with curiosity.

"Not any of my other spirits, I wasn't there for long, but I did get to see Mustache Man." Lucy paused, wondering how much to divulge to her. There were still questions that she had and so much that she was unsure about. 'Well, she did just bare everything about what just happened, she'd understand my insecurities.'

Lisanna had missed Lucy's hesitation. "Really? The Spirit King made an appearance?"

"Yeah, actually there's a lot to explain." She looked up to the takeover mage who looked eagerly back at her, waiting for her to continue her story.

"Every few million years the "Spirit King" changes. Loke is technically next in line. Since I'm his mate, which technically makes me his Queen, which is both exciting and terrifying. He came by to make sure that I was up o taking on the responsibilities and answer any questions that I had."

"Wow, Queen Lucy huh? Well that will take some getting use too, though your spirits already do call you Princess." Lisanna giggled. "So how will this work, with you being human and all?"

Lucy smiled a little. "You actually won't have to get used to it. This won't happen in any of our lifetimes, but it does require me to join the spirit world." She bit her lip lightly, twisting her hands together and apart.

Lisanna frowned before asking. "When do you have to go?"

"Not right away. Actually, it's my choice when I want to go. I can wait until my time comes to an end here, or I can go tomorrow. I get to choose how I look, what kind of spirit I'd be, become my own "house" and have my own key, or join Loke's." The celestial mage frowned again, thinking of all of the decisions she has yet to make.

"What would happen to your keys?" Lisanna asked yet another question that she wasn't sure about.

"Well, if I wait until my time comes to an end, they will be spread back across the earth again, to be found by another celestial mage. Mine as well if I so choose to have my own key. I was assured that when the keys are found, that they can "feel" what kind of person has found them, and they can make the decision to let them pick it up or not. It's when keys are bought and sold that we don't have any control over owners."

Lisanna nodded, seeming content with the answer. "Well, that's reassuring that at least you and your spirits will have the potential to have a good owner." She studied the blonde mage in front of her as she though on how to word her next question. "Do you know what you want to do, as far as any of it goes?"

Lucy shook her head. "Not really. I know I want to wait; I want to finish out my life here. My only issue with that is that they will be spread all over again. I know that they will have a good chance of finding a good owner, but I'd feel better if I could pass them to someone that I could trust."

"What about any kids that you and Loke have? Wouldn't they be able to inherit your keys?"

Lucy cringed ever so slightly at the one question she was most unsure and sensitive about. She quickly contemplated on how to answer. "I'm… I'm not sure that we will have any. The Spirit King said that I'd have no living relatives to pass them down too. Since I don't have any siblings and my parents have passed on, I'm assuming that means that I won't have any children to pass them down too." She looked away quickly, praying to Mavis that she could keep from crying.

Lisanna sat silently, not sure how to respond to the news. Her heart broke for Lucy; she could see the distress on her face. "You haven't talked to anyone about it have you?" she asked quietly. She knew the answer, it was obvious by this discomfort, but she was hoping that she could get her to open up.

"No. I mean, this was only this morning that all of this was dumped on me, so I'm still processing through it. I'm not even sure how to bring it up to Loke. We've never talked about kids. It's something I always thought would happen later in life. Now, maybe it's not even an option. If it's not, then I think I'll be okay with it, there are other options. I just don't want him thinking that it's a sacrifice for me, to give up having my own kids to be with him. That's not how I think about it, it's just not something I has considered." She looked up to the takeover mage.

"You're right, there are always other options, but I mean, maybe… maybe what the spirit King meant was that you will have kids, but they… won't be human. Maybe they'd be spirits themselves. Or maybe after you've joined them, you'll have spirit babies with him. You said they have households right? I know they've always been here, but maybe the houses have expanded over the years."

A bright smile lit up Lucy's face. "I never thought about that." She paused, flashing a grateful smile to Lisanna. "I probably should bring it up to Loke, but your thought, gives me a good way to ask."

Lisanna smiled back at her, feeling relieved that she was able to help. "As far as the rest of the options, have you thought about what you want to do, or if you'll join Loke's house and create your own? "

Lucy shook her head. "Not really. I kind of want to be a combative spirit because I'm such a damsel in distress now. I'd like to be able to save the day every now and again, but with that being said, maybe that's why I shouldn't be." She made a face at the thought of being the damsel in distress when she was the spirit that was supposed to be fighting. "As far as the other, I'm torn. I'd like to help the human race, but at the same time, how does that work if I had kids, maybe Loke would be offended or whatever. I'm not really sure. I guess there are more answers that I need before I go making those decisions. Thankfully, I have a lot of time before I need to."

"That is a good thing. I don't know how you handled all this information all at once, I can't imagine the amount of pressure you're under, and that you'll be under." Lisanna grimaced, thinking about the reversed roles.

Lucy smiled, nodding in agreement. "That's why I haven't really told anyone most of the details I found out. I'm still processing it, there are so many questions I still need answered, and decisions that I need to make before I can go announcing it all over. "

"Well I'm glad you told me. I also think that Natsu should be one of the first people that you tell, even if you don't know all of the details yet. And if you ever need anything, even it's just to talk, just know that I am here." She stood to clear away the table.

Squeals of delight and laughter echoed down the hall. A very winded Asuska came running into the kitchen. "Loke, that's not fair, you can reappear anywhere!" the little sharp shooter complained, stopping momentarily on the opposite side of the table from Lucy.

Loke's laughter echoed lightly in the room.

Lucy could feel the familiar tingle of a spirit pulling magic to appear. She focused on its origin and readied herself to take action when he materialized. Luckily, he was crouching right next to her.

Asuska took off again before he was visible. Lucy grabbed his shirt collar, behind his neck, like a Lioness would grab her cub, just as he appeared in front of Asuska.

She nearly ran straight into Loke, but he was yanked out of the way by Lucy. Squealing again in laughter, she spun on her heel and ran to hide behind Lisanna, who was laughing at the entire event. \Lucy let go of his collar, letting him stand up fully.

The Lion spirit glared at his mare. "That was not very nice Princess." He said with a pout.

"It's not very nice to play unfairly either. I was leveling the playing field." She retorted back in a mocking stern voice. She winked at Asuska, who was pointing her toy cork gun at the stellar spirit.

She took her shots, laughing in victory. Loke pretended to be wounded by the shots, falling dramatically to the floor.

"Consider that a penalty shot for cheating." Lucy smiled at the two.

Loke smiled brightly up to the tiny sharp shooter. "Fair enough, I guess I have to pay up. What's my punishment?"

Asuska thought for a moment, then a huge smile lit up her face. "I want to be in your wedding. And you have to dance with me."

Loke swung her up into his arms, placing a kiss on her cheek. "I will definitely dance with you, but being in it is up to Lucy. Maybe you should challenge her to a shoot off." He winked to his Lioness, who was grinning widely at him.

Asuska flushed pink and looked to Lucy with determination in her eyes.

Lucy held up her hands in mock defense. "No way I'd win that if I had to do it, maybe Sagittarius…"

Loke shook his head. "No Princess, that'd be cheating."

Lucy laughed. "Well I guess then we'll let her be in the wedding then."

Asuska cheered, wiggling out of Loke's arms and running to Lucy, hugging her tightly.

"Would you by chance want to be my flower girl?" She asked amusedly as the little sharp shooter danced around the kitchen.

"Speaking of weddings and planning them, I think you should include Virgo and Aquarius." Loke mentioned to his mate.

Lucy nodded. "Yeah, Aquarius would wash me away if I didn't."

Lisanna giggled, remembering the mermaids temper. "Sounds like you'll have a busy day, and probably planning two weddings."

Lucy stood, stretching as she reached for Loke's hand. "Yeah I guess so; I'll be at the guild with Levy if you want to stop by when Alec and Bisca get back."

Lucy hugged the takeover mage. "Thanks Lis, I'll see you late."

Loke mussed Asuska's hair "See you at the guild little lady. Maybe we can have a rematch."

Lisanna and Asuska waved from the doorway as the pair headed back towards the guild.

Lucy looked up to Loke, worry on her face. "We aren't actually going to need to plan TWO weddings are we?"


	14. Record Time

Author's Note: I do not own Fairy Tail or any of the characters. Some of the plots might follow the Anime.

Ideas were being tossed every which way, most were over-the-top-completely-insane ideas, but Lucy expected nothing less. Honestly, she was starting to get a headache, but she continued to smile and politely decline the increasingly crazy ideas.

Wedding planning had quickly spiraled out of control when Lucy had shown up at the guild.

Thankfully, Levy noticed her friends tired smile, seeing how exhausted she was already. "Lu-chan, you don't need to make all of the decisions today, why don't we head back to your apartment?"

Lucy smiled gratefully to the solid script mage. "Thanks for all of your ideas, I'll think over them. Let's have a girl's night?"

She waved to them as she followed Levy to a table where Gajeel and Loke were currently sitting.

Loke chuckled as Lucy plopped in the seat next to him, sliding his arm around her, hugging her shoulders encouragingly. "Yeah, two weddings would be a nightmare. I'll let Virgo and Aquarius know."

"I hope Aquarius is on her best behavior, I don't want any water damage in my apartment."

Loke chuckled again, kissing the top of her head. "I'll make sure of it. Besides, she's excited that you finally have a boyfriend. Even a little jealous that you're tying the knot before her."

Lucy smiled at the thought. "Who knows, maybe her and Scorpio will run off and get married before our wedding, just so she can say that she was married first."

Levy scooted closer to Gajeel, wiggling under his arm. Gajeel smiled fondly down to the little mage, squeezing her closer. "Oi, shrimp. We could still beat them."

Levy giggled. "I'm not stealing my best friends thunder. Besides, we're mated, so essentially, we already are."

"Maybe, but don't you want a big Fairy Tail wedding Levy?" Lucy asked, shooting Gajeel an evil grin.

Levy blushed, glancing up to her mate. "Well, I mean, it's not necessary. I know for dragons, mating is the equivalent of being married. I bear his mark, it's a symbol of our bond. It's not like I have any family but Fairy Tail and Gajeel isn't really a party guy. I'm happy now, why do I need a big ceremony to show that I belong to him?" She snuggled into the Iron dragon slayer.

Gajeel mumbled something unintelligible under his breath. Both he and Lucy knew that she wanted a wedding deep down. "More like I belong to you, Shrimp."

Loke and Lucy giggled at the pair, Lucy's eyes glimmering with happiness for her friend and her unsuspecting surprise.

'Don't you go spoiling Gajeel's plan now.' Loke reminded her gently, inwardly chuckling at her mental eye roll towards him.

"It's not nice to keep secrets." Levy teased them, catching on that they had exchanged something in private.

"Loke was actually laughing at Gajeel, which I promptly reminded him he's in the same boat." She winked at her mate. "Let's go, I feel like it's been forever since I've been in my apartment without some sort of excitement." Lucy stood from the table, pecking Loke's cheek quickly before leaving with Levy.

Lucy talked with Levy about her visit with Lisanna earlier this morning, mentioning the takeover mage's thoughts on kids.

Levy smiled knowingly. "I thought it was bothering you, but I figured you'd talk more about it once you had talked to Loke. Your kids becoming celestial spirits makes sense though, that would be why you wouldn't have any living relatives. I hope that one of us at the guild will have kids that would grow up to be a celestial mage, so that you could pass your keys off to someone you trust, plus you'd be such a great teacher."

Lucy unlocked the door to her little apartment, flicking on the light sighing in content that none of her guild mates had decided to show up. Levy laughed at her friends hesitation as she scoped out her apartment, plopping down on the couch.

Lucy took a seat next to the solid script mage. "You know, I have no idea how to plan a wedding, but I do know that I should have a maid of…" She was cut off before she could answer the question.

"OF COURSE I'LL BE YOUR MAID OF HONOR!" Levy squealed with delight.

"I do hope that you meant that I should be your maid of honor" said a menacingly dark voice, causing both girls to shrink back.

Lucy laughed nervously." A-a-actually, I figured you'd try to beat me to the alter and marry Scorpio first, which would make you my matron of honor."

Aquarius stared at the blonde mage for a moment, before cracking a haughty smile "That is a good idea."

Levy laughed at the duo. "There is no reason that we can't both be maid of honor. Besides, someone needs to take care of things on the spirit world side. I can do earth land side, no problem, but it'd be difficult for me to manage the spirit world side."

The mermaid shrugged, shooting a wink to Levy. "I guess that's a good idea, besides, she's going to be a bridezilla and I wouldn't want to put up with it." She loved teasing her owner; it was so easy to get her worked up.

"Hey, I will not be a bridezilla, the only reason I am having this wedding is due to the fact I might be killed otherwise." Lucy said exasperatedly.

Levy and Aquarius snickered. "Looks like it already started." Levy jibbed playfully.

Lucy groaned in defeat. "Alright, alright. Enough about my nonexistent bridezilla antics, I need to plan a wedding, would the two of you like to help?"

Aquarius just rolled her eyes at the celestial mage. "Tch… Obviously."

Levy nodded. "Alright, we can get most of the basics done now, if you'd like. You're really lucky that your spirits are helping you out, it'd cost a fortune otherwise."

Levy smiled. "I am very lucky for both my spirits and the guild." She retrieved a clean notebook and pen from her desk, retaking her seat next to Levy.

Aquarius took charge. "Location, for both the ceremony and the reception, bridal party, color or theme, dress, cake, catering, music, officiant, floral arrangements, party favors and the guest list."

Lucy thought momentarily. "Well there is a spot that is special to us, I'd like that to be where we hold the ceremony, and the guild would be the best place for the reception. Bridal party will be small, just you and Levy, and Asuska as the flower girl. I was thinking maybe Gemini as ring bearer. Gramps as the officiant. Color I was thinking navy blue, and floral arrangements would have red in them too. Loke has some beautiful flowers. You'll have to ask him, but he'll know what I'm thinking. Cake I was thinking of asking Ezra to make her strawberry cake. I'm not sure about a caterer though." She paused in thought.

"Scorpio will take care of that. He's a master in the kitchen. Well, everywhere really, there was this time…"

"Don't wanna know about where else he's a master at, thank you." Lucy said, waving her hands frantically.

"Lisanna does amazing work with flowers, so as long as we can get what you want, she's be able to make masterpieces for you. I'm sure that Mira or Gramps has a contact for music, with all of the DJ's that they've had for parties." Levy chimed in.

Lucy nodded, quickly jotting down the details. "Should we call Virgo to get the dresses sorted out now?"

"You called Princess?" Virgo appeared in her soft pinky golden light.

"Well, I guess that's a yes…" Lucy mumbled.

"We're wedding planning. Can you handle dresses for Levy, Asuska and I? Aquarius asked the stellar spirit, throwing a side-glance to Lucy. "I suppose the blushing bride would need a dress as well. Then the guys will need tuxedos too. Loke, Capricorn and Grey. Make sure Gemini has something too, they are the ring bearers."

"Aquarius, you have better style than me, why don't you work with Virgo on them, and Lucy and I will work the guest list." Levy suggested.

The mermaid smirked. "I like the way you think. Too bad Lucy can't be more sensible like you."

Lucy began to rebuttal her stellar spirits statement, but Levy grabbed her wrist, dragging her back down to the couch. "Guest list. Obviously everyone at the guild, maybe Lamia Scale, Blue Pegasus, Sabertooth, all of your spirits… Anyone from your family estate?" They jotted down names of old friends and workers from her days of Lady Lucy Heartifilia.

"You know…. I'd never really thought about this, but my father won't be here to walk me down the aisle…" Lucy stated quietly.

The girls chatter stopped, all three looking at the celestial mage.

She continued on. "Gramps is the most father like figure I have, but I want him to be the officiant. I'm not sure who would give me away."

Levy spoke quietly. "Well… often times brothers give away their sisters in place of fathers if they have passed on. There are a few that you consider brothers at the guild…I mean… I think the most sense would be Natsu. He is the one who brought you here, the entire reason that you and Loke ever met. If it wasn't for him dragging you here, you might not have made it in time to save him. He's been your best friend…" Levy trailed off, letting it sink in.

Lucy froze. She thought about her friends point, smiling warmly at the thought of her time at the guild. "I'd… I'd like that, but I don't know that Loke would. I also don't know that it would be fair to ask Natsu to give me away, considering everything that has happened recently."

"Loke can get the hell over it if its what you want. It'd also be a good way for Natsu to prove he means what he's said. Maybe it'd bring him closure and help him move on." Aquarius stated.

"I'll… think about it. I have to talk to him anyway. I just don't know what I have to say or how to say it, let alone to give me away at my wedding."

"Princess I have a dress chosen for you, I'll help you change while the other two are trying theirs on."

Lucy stood, following Virgo to her bedroom where she was changed in the typical whip like fashion she always used, closing her eyes in the process. "Virgo, will you be able to come to my wedding?" She asked thoughtfully. It'd just occurred to her that she had a large collection of spirits that'd want to attend her wedding, not just for her, but for her groom as well.

"I wouldn't worry about it Princess, the Spirit King has a soft spot for you, and with Aquarius in charge, thinks will be worked out just how you… or she, wants it too." The spirit said in her monotone voice, causing a giggle to ripple out of the celestial mages throat. "All done Princess, look at it and tell me if it is to your liking. You can punish me if it is not."

Lucy shook her head. "I want it to be a surprise and I don't want Loke to see it accidentally either. I have faith in you and Aquarius."

Virgo nodded, ensuring that the dress fit perfectly before taking the dress back off her owner. "Be sure to watch your eating habits so that you don't gain weight and not be able to fit into your dress." The stellar spirit stated much to Lucy's chagrin.

The pair walked back out to the small living room where Levy was spinning around in her dress. "Lu-chan, where is your dress? Did you not like it?" The solid script mage inquired.

"Tch, as if. I chose it. She probably couldn't fit it and Virgo has to do altercations." Aquarius scoffed.

"I just want it to be a surprise. It fits just fine, thanks though Aquarius." Lucy just looked at her two maids of honor.

Levy's dress was midnight blue and when the light hit it just right, you could see the constellations sparkle. It tied at the nape of her neck with a swoop neckline and a skater type skirt.

Aquarius didn't have so much a dress as she did a top. It also was midnight blue with constellations hidden until the light hit it, but it faded to the ocean blue of her tail at the bottom of the top. It tied at the nape of her neck with a swoop neck, covering more than what her normal top did.

There was a mini dress that matched Levy's that hung on the back of the chair for Asuska. Lucy clapped her hands in excitement. "Ohhh I love it, I love it, I love it. These are perfect, I knew I could count on you." The blonde celestial mage gushed.

Aquarius smiled fondly at her owner. "You're welcome. Though it was my idea, Virgo is the one who made them so beautifully."

"Time for punishment?" Virgo asked.

Lucy laughed, shaking her head. "No Virgo, thank you. These are perfect."

Virgo bowed as she slowly faded back into the spirit world.

"You know, all of this will be all for naught if you don't, oh I don't know, have a date that this actually happens?" Levy pointed out.

The celestial mage stared blankly at her two friends. "I have… no idea. I'll need to talk to Loke." She stated. 'And talk to Gajeel, to make sure we don't have the wedding too early for him either' she thought to herself.

'Well I was thinking in a couple months, since everything is mostly in our friends or family that will be putting it on, we can get married whenever we want. I think Gajeel is already prepared, he's just waiting for the right moment.' Loke answered her wandering thoughts.

'This is so convenient sometimes, I'm not sure I'll ever get used to it though.' She thought candidly to her mate.

"Earth to Lucyyyyyyy, you're spacing out again."

Lucy blinked a few times, focusing on the girl in front of her. Aquarius had already left back to the spirit world, no doubt already barking orders.

She smiled sheepishly. "Sorry, I was thinking again and Loke intercepted my thoughts. I'll never get used to it, but every now and again it is convenient. It's easy to forget that I can hear him and no one else can, so I look like a total weirdo."

Levy laughed, standing from her sofa and stretching. "Well Gajeel is probably wondering where I am, and I'm exhausted, I'll see you tomorrow?"

Lucy nodded. "Thanks for all of your help; I don't know what I'd do without you."

Exhausted, Lucy sank back into her sofa. She wasn't an expert at planning a wedding, but it seemed like everything came together all at once. All they had to do was set a date. She smiled to herself, looking at the rings that sat on her left hand, imagining the third one that was to be added to it shortly.

"I do hope that you didn't plan the rings, I've already had some made." Loke said softly as he appeared next to his bride to be.

She snuggled closer, closing her eyes as she rested against him. "Mmm, no, thankfully that was something we forgot. Aquarius and Levy are master wedding planners apparently and everything is done except for the date."

Loke chuckled "I expected nothing less from Aquarius; I'd bet that she is revelling in this job." He picked up his almost sleeping mate and carried her to her small bedroom, placing her gently on her bed before snuggling in beside her. "I know I said a couple of months, but I very much can't wait to make you my wife, why not tomorrow?"

Lucy's eyes flew open as she looked at Loke. "You'd best be joking, Aquarius would murder me if we threw that at her. Not to mention Levy and everyone else we are asking to help out."

He squeezed the celestial mage closer too him. "Okay, what about two days from now?"

Lucy looked at him incredulously, shaking her head at his impulsiveness. "You really worried that I'm going to change my mind that we have to do it immediately? "

The stellar spirit flashed his brilliant smile "I'd certainly hope not, you are my mate after all, regardless of a marriage license, you've already vowed to not leave me. I would just very much like to see your dress and then promptly shred it to…"

Lucy cut him off with a quick kiss. "Alright, alright, alright. Sheesh. As if you need my wedding dress to do that, you do that on a nightly basis now anyway."

Loke grinned " It'd fulfill a long standing fantasy of mine Princess. So is that an agreement to a date?"

Lucy sighed "We'll run it past everyone tomorrow. Hopefully it's enough time." She inwardly cringed to herself. 'No time like the present to talk to Natsu I suppose…' She peaked up at her mate, wondering how to broach the subject of Natsu walking her down the isle.

"Your inner turmoil is apparent, cat go your tongue Lucy?" He joked without looking at the celestial mage.

"For once, no he doesn't." Lucy mumbled back at him. She felt his body shake with silent laughter.

"I can change that if you'd like."

"No, that's quite okay. It's hard enough thinking without you distracting me." She chided him. She paused a moment, weighing her words before she spoke.

"So… it occurred to me tonight that my father won't be here to walk me down the aisle. Gramps will be the officiant. Grey will most likely be your best man, and any of my celestial spirits already are in the wedding…" She trailed off

Loke sat up, bringing the blonde with him. "Ask Natsu."

Lucy looked dumbfound at her mate. "You're okay with it?" she managed to stammer out after a few minutes.

He shrugged. "It's not as if I have a problem with him other than trying to take the only thing I've ever cared about away. If it wasn't for him, I might not have ever met you and I might not be here right now. I know he's been family to you since you've came here, and I know you don't see him anything more than that."

Lucy tackled him to the bed. "I love you." She kissed his nose.

Loke chuckled, ruffling her hair. "I love you too. Now for the hard part, you have to actually ask."

The celestial mage looked at him with confusion as he got off the bed. "He's on his way here, and if I'm correct he'll be at your door momentarily." He kissed her quickly, smiling at her confusion. "Aquarius gave me an earful before coming here, I stopped by his place knowing he would most likely be avoiding us for awhile yet, told him you wanted to talk to him."

There was a knock on the door. Loke gave an apologetic look as he began to disappear to the spirit world.


End file.
